Nightmares In Nerima
by Gabby-kun
Summary: Ranma's been having disturbing nightmares. And soon the nightmares become so traumatizing and intense that they begin to control his life. Akane's desperate to help him. Buts it's hard to do so when Ranma refuses to open up to her about the dreams.
1. Part 1

**Nightmares In Nerima**

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**Part 1**

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Happosai steamed in unrestrained fury as he dragged his trampled body to the Tendo residence. The throbbing knots that now layered his wrinkled skin only contributed to his anger. He arrived in the back yard of his former student's home and paused outside the shoji door.

He knew he was now standing before the nest of his current target. Ranma Saotome.

Mercy was long forgotten and only vengeance and consequence concerned the old martial artist. He had settled that this would be the very last time Ranma would ever humiliate or disrespect him.

'The VERY last,' he thought. Happosai clutched his fists as his growing aura shot out demoniac flames. 'I'll make that little imp regret ever confronting me. I'll force him to fall before me in despair.'

It had been obvious that facing his previous wrath had not gotten through to the younger martial artist. Back then, Happosai's intention had been to discipline the boy for audacity. To show him that he was of lesser rank and should give more honor to his elders. But from what he understand, it would take far more than a few vindictive pranks to get through to his senseless brain.

Happosai declined the idea of using combat against the boy. He could always just trounce him with a Happo-Fire Burst. But this method was excessively familiar to Ranma and from past instances, proved to be useless. He needed a new method that would place him on edge.

He thought back to the galling incident that had just taken place only minutes ago.

He had pounced merrily through the campus of Furinkan highschool, hauling his loot of stolen girls' gym and lockerroom attire. He had managed to escape the angry mass of female students who pursued him with brooms, mops, bats, hockey sticks, and other equipment they managed to get a hold of.

Happosai chuckled. "Let's do this again some time, eh girls?"

He reached the front yard of the school and was met by many annoyed glances, most from females. He smiled and darted from girl to girl, gusting enough wind with him to make skirts flutter, providing him a decent peak. The girls shrieked and clutched their skirts down.

"Someone stop him!" a male student shouted.

Happosai pleasingly sprung toward the gate ready to make his escape, right when a familiar red-headed beauty blocked his path. A mischievous glint sparked in her eye. "Old maaan," she sang. She reached for the latch of her red Chinese shirt and began to undo them one by one, revealing her pleasantly sized breasts.

Happosai's eyes protruded in delight. "Ranma!" he shouted expanding his arms for potential embrace. The girl's grin grew wider. "That's right," she said seductively. "Come...right...to...me!" Suddenly Happosai found his face smashed with the vigorous impact of her fist and spiraling through the air. "You little freak!" she shouted after him.

Happosai cursed himself for once again falling victim to her trap. When he reached an elevated point in the sky, his body slowed down, favoring gravity and reversing his route. He fell freely back towards earth. He noticed that this time, Ranma had punted him directly up, instead of in an arch as he usually did. Meaning, that he'd fall back to his original destination.

When the people below began to shuffle backwards to allow him landing space, Ranma suddenly stepped forward with a tennis racket in hand. She smirked at Happosai.

Before Happosai had a chance to land, he found himself served across the school yard with one shot of the racket. Seconds later, he was struck by another racket, sending him the opposite direction. A few seconds later it happened again.

Between serves, Happosai caught a glimpse of a red blur dashing back and forth with a racket. Only after being struck again, did he recognize the blur as Ranma. She was flinging back and forth at incredible speed, making sure to hoist Happosai right before he hit the ground.

This game continued on and before long, Happosai had grown painfully worn, loosing count of the number of times Ranma struck him. The next hit sent him straight up in the air again.

"Give it a go, Akane," he heard Ranma say. She quickly flung the racket in her fiancee's direction and she confusedly caught it. Happosai felt gravity taking over again and he descended down toward the school yard. Akane positioned her hands correctly on the handle and glanced up in focus. Happosai held his breath and shut his eyes at the coming impact.

With one dynamic slam, the racket sent him spiraling up toward the sky once more. He reached such a high elevation, he thought he would crash the sun. By now his head was pounding and spinning in disorder and his body bruised all over.

On his way back down towards the yard, he plunged into a tree, momentarily being caught by the leaves, then hitting several branches on the way down. "Aaaaagh!" he shouted after hitting the last branch. He anticipated another strike from the racket but was payed with a smash to the ground instead. Everything spun uncontrollably around him. He could hear his heart thumping through his ears and a stream of stars circled his head in a halo.

He attempted to gain his sight back, against the blurriness that clouded around him. When he finally did, he found that familiar red-head standing over him frowning.

"That'll teach ya to come here again," she said. Ranma turned away. "There you go, girls. He's all yours."

A stampede of female students surrounded him from every direction.

"...Gah!...W-Wait a seco-...Aah!" He had little opportunity to get up before several feet stomped him into the ground continuously. "Aah! RANMA!"

Happosai shuddered at the memory as he came back to reality. His aura had seemed to spark even more at the reminiscence. He slowly slid the shoji door open arriving at the living room of the Tendo house. He came to find the entire family gathered around the table. The room went quiet and everyone turned to stare at him.

Soun and Genma jolted in terror at the intense rage that omitted from him. "M-Master?..." Genma stammered.

"...What is it, Master?" Soun asked.

Happosai silently eyed his target (who now took on his original male body).

Ranma carelessly looked away, turning back to the snow cone in front of him. "Still alive are we, you little monster."

"Ranma!" Soun scolded.

Happosai growled in such a cold manner, even Ranma had to look up. "Learn your mistakes, Ranma Saotome...Because soon enough, they'll all come back to you." The old martial artist shuffled past the family, then down the hall.

Ranma stared after him, confused.

"Well..."Nabiki said. "The old coot actually said something right for once."

"What's he babbling on about anyway?"

"I don't know, but something most have really set him off," Genma said. "I hope you didn't go and do something reckless again, Boy. You'll get us all killed!"

Ranma casually pecked his snow cone. "Stop overreactin'. He's probably just havin' a moment. He'll be back to his creepy old self in no time."

Akane stared at Ranma.

She hoped he was right.

...

The normal sounds of the night filled the dark streets of Nerima. Dogs barked back and forth simultaneously, crickets chirped and hissed in ongoing rhythms, and the occasional sound of a car honking in the distance kept the town's atmosphere from being mute.

Happosai sat in his dimly lit room going through his rucksack. Majority of his previously purchased valuables were kept hidden there. He came across an old yellow cracked mirror that had been restored with tape. Happosai stared into the mirror and grinned. "Ah...I've had good times with this old thing." He remembered all of his adventures through time with the tear-powered mirror. He set it aside and reached in his sack again. He found a styrofoam container wrapped protectively in plastic. The label on the container read 'Instant Super Soba.' This brought back one of the few instances that hadn't turned out so well. He hadn't even known he had another one stashed away. He made a mental note to try it the next day.

Next he came across a polished wooden box. The box was latched closed with a golden hook. Happosai grinned. "Here it is." He ran a hand over it preciously before unlatching the hook. Inside he found an assortment of various colored and shaped incense burners. One was auburn colored and pot shaped. He reahced for it.

"This should do it." He sat the burner aside before scanning the arrangement of incense. The half-used purple incense, known as the Nightmare Incense of Spring, brought him back to the incident of accidently using it on Akane. The Incense was created to allow it's object to sleep throughout the spring season, while at the same time releasing their latent potential to guard against foes. The incense was practical. But it wasn't exactly what he was looking for.

He placed it back in its spot and redirected his attention to the wrapped new stick of incense beside it. He smiled and held it up. This was more like it.

"The Fear Stressing Incense...Used on an enemy to stress their obvious and underlay fears in the form of dreams."

He remembered buying it from the Exclusive Incense shop when on a trip in Kyushu. The incense was somewhat of an advancement of the Nightmare Incense. The shop owner in Kyushu had told him that the Fear Stressing Incense had been used in previous eras by warriors on their enemies or rivals. The purpose was to withdraw the enemies fears (conscious and subconscious) in their sleep. The fears would constantly appear in the enemies dreams and haunt them in every sleep period. It was a form of revenge through psychological torture.

Happosai laughed vilely before unwrapping the stick. He had yet the opportunity to test the Incense out. The shop owner had promised that it was authentic and told him that if he bought it, he would throw in the cure for free and give him the pick of any other incense for half-price.

Happosai couldn't argue with that.

He grabbed the incense burner in the opposite hand and removed his gas mask from his sack. 'But there's only one way to find out...' He quietly made his way down the dark hall way toward the guest room Ranma shared with his father. Carefully sliding the door open without a sound, he peeked in.

There sprawled out on a futon beside a huge panda, was his victim.

Happosai tiptoed over keeping in mind to remain silent, an essential step he had forgotten the last time. He suddenly froze when Ranma scratched his exposed stomach. As a loud snore followed Happosai released the breath he had been holding in. He kneeled beside the boys' futon and put on the gas mask then lit the incense burner.

'Now Ranma...prepare to taste REAL consequence.'

The flame began to modify the stick into smoke. He hovered it next to the boy's head, making sure the smoke floated in the correct direction.

'That's it,' Happosai thought. 'Just breath it all in.'

After the stick had smoldered down to a small stub he covered the burner. He watched as Ranma continued to sleep unfazed. 'We'll see if this stuff really works.' He gathered his materials and made his way over to the door. Before quietly sliding the door closed, he looked back at the oblivious Ranma and grinned.

"Sweet dreams."

**...**

**Hi there! ^ ^**

**Sorry if you consider it a little short. But it is just the beginning after all. The current rating of the story is 'T', though that is subject to change. The intensity and detail of the story may be appropriate for only mature audiences. I'll be sure to let everyone know if that happens.**

**But tell me what you think of it so far. What do you expect to happen? Or what would you like to happen?**

**Thanks for reading. Please review.**


	2. Part 2

**Honestly I believe the story could have done without this chapter. But seeing as though it sort of displays the standing of Ranma and Akane's relationship (which will be important later on in the story), I thought it would be necessary to include it. I hope it's not too much of a filler. Either way, the next chapter will be much better, I promise. Here you go. Enjoy. ^ ^**

**...  
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**Nightmares In Nerima**

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**Part 2**

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The intense heat flooded the small town of Nerima, smothering it in visible vapors. Ranma and Akane dragged along, miserably, down the street, fatigue drawing out their current irritation. Their moist skins burned from the harsh rays of the sun. Ranma positioned his satchel above his head to shield himself and Akane used her hand as a visor, though both methods failed to have much effect.

It seemed as if the sun had spitefully chosen to hover directly above them from its clear spot in the sky. Both teens fidgeted in discomfort at the sticky sensation their clothes produced when dampened by their sweat.

"This is ridiculous," Ranma said, glancing up at the sky. He immediately squinted at the blinding brightness. "Someone could lose a life out here."  
"Yeah. School should have been cancelled today for sure."

The situation would have been sensable, seeing as though the large school building was only circulated with cold air in certain parts. "There's almost no one out today," Akane added. They looked around them.

The afternoon streets were uncommonly vacant, with only an occasional student strolling by here and there on their way home.

"No kidding," Ranma said. "No one would be stupid enough to come out here...Even Happosai had common sense to stay inside. Ya see he didn't return to Furinkan today."

Akane recalled the incident from the previous day, including the 'consequence' that had followed. "Yeah...either that or he didn't feel like being used as a tennis ball again...Maybe both." she laughed.

"Hey, the old man had it coming to him. You gotta admit though...I served justice pretty well yesterday, didn't I?"

Akane smirked at his play on words. The whole event reiterated in her mind chronologically. She couldn't deny that the situation had been amusingly entertaining. Following, she had even felt the slightest extent of pity for the old man. But there was just something about his response - something about the anger that he bared - that marginally alarmed her. They had been faced with that emotion once before. And it didn't end well.

It was generally known that when Happosai became truly infuriated, someone was bound to face his wrath.

This "someone" normally being Ranma.

"Hey...Ranma..." She waited for a verbal indication to confirm that she had his attention. When she didn't receive one, she continued regardless. "You don't think Happosai's still angry do you?"

Ranma didn't bother to look at her, his eyes still fixated ahead. "So what if he is?"

"I don't know...I mean, he looked as if he took it real seriously...Not to mention what he said to you-"

"Aw, geez, quit worrying about nothin'. He was just ticked off, that's all. Like I said, he should be over it by now. I'm pretty sure he's probably forgotten all about it."

Akane hesitated. Maybe he was right. Besides, it wouldn't have been the first time Ranma had waywardly chastised Happosai. Though at the same time, she questioned whether he would just simply forget about it.

But if he wasn't the least bit concerned, she decided not to waste her own time being so.

Ranma brushed his hand against the brim of his nose, smearing the small droplets of sweat that stuck there. He sniffed and frowned. "...Hey, is it just me...or do you smell this weird fragrance everywhere?"

Akane's features wrinkled in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I donno, I've been smellin' something all day...kinda smell's like...perfume or something...But I smell it everywhere I go? You don't?"

She shook her head.

Ranma glanced around and sniffed once more. The faint, sweet-smelling scent still lingered but the source was difficult to detect. He clutched the front of his shirt and slightly lifted it to his nose.

The only reasonable conclusion he could conjure was that maybe he had accidently grazed someone, particularly a girl, and had picked up traces of their perfume. He found no aroma match. 'That's odd.' he thought. He released his shirt.

Next, he glanced over at Akane, who continued to walk, indifferent of his current pursuit.

"Hmm..." He leaned toward her and sniffed.

"Hey!" She tensed.

"Nope. Not you either..."

Instead, she carried a soft, floral-scented aroma, mixed with a hint of sweat. It was miles different from the annoying, pungent smell that had been ingrained in his nose all day.

"You're probably just imagining it. The heat can do that to you."

'It can?' he thought.

Now only a block away from home, the two continued on in silence. They walked alongside the wall, attempting to take advantage of the stingy amount of shade it produced. Ranma mused about how he couldn't wait until they arrived at the house. 'Pops and the old man are probably hogging the fans right about now.'

The thought reminded him of the hazardous condition of their home. It was equally, if not more so, as hot in the Tendo home as it was outside. And the limited quantity of fans in the house caused more problems than they solved. If he considered them bothered now, he couldn't imagine how pleasant it would be in a clammy, suffocating room full of people.

As much as being outside repelled him, being at home wasn't necessarily appealing either.

"Hey Akane..." He looked in her direction. Despite the temperature, he held restrained hope that she would agree to his suggestion. He had actually been retaining it for several days. He had been too nervous to directly propose it, fearing that she would misinterpret his intentions.

But seeing as though they had been on quite good terms lately (their fighting had been at a minimum and Ranma hadn't suffered one of Akane's malletings lately), he would take a chance.

Akane waited for him to continue. A heated hue of pink shaded her cheeks giving her a cute flush. "What?"

"...There's this new movie out. And everyone at school's talkin' about it...You know, I was thinkin' we could go see it...It would get us out of the hot house for a while."

Akane's expression could only be described as riveted and casual. "Sure. What movie?"

Ranma felt himself release a suspended breath that he had been oblivous of. "It's called 'The Pastor's Daughter'."

Akane scanned her memory for the familiar title. When she recalled, several disturbing images filled her head. She had viewed the trailer on television.

She frowned. "Isn't that a horror movie?"

"Yep."

"...I don't know then," she said, hesitantly.

"Oh come on, it's supposed to be really good...I'll even pay for your ticket if you want."

She spent a silent moment in decision. Scary movies weren't exactly her preferable choice. Not to mention, the last time she watched one with Ranma, he found pleasure in frightening her the entire night. 'Well...I guess as long as I'm not by myself...'

"Okay, we can go," she said. "But the moment you pull anything funny, I'm getting up and leaving."

Ranma looked at her and frowned. 'Funny?' he thought. "...And what do you mean by that?"

She clenched her fists. "You know EXACTLY what I mean."

He mulled over in confusion and hurt for a few seconds. What would cause her to suspect him of immoral purposes?

It wasn't until she continued, that he came to realization.

"The moment you start trying to scare me and tease me, I'm going home...and I'm never going to another movie with you." The defense in her voice was evident.

Ranma spent a moment absorbing her words. Their last horror movie episode suddenly came back to him. The thought relieved his offense. "Oh..." He laughed. Akane glared daggers at him.

"...I won't. I promise."

The two made their way home, where they bathed, changed, and consumed a quick meal. The sun was on the verge of setting when they came out again. Though the heat index was still relatively high, the increased humidity rendered the atmosphere more tolerable. Akane had swapped her school uniform for a white-collared, button down blouse and a form fitting red skirt. Following his shower, Ranma had exchanged his sleeveless, red Chinese style shirt, for a white shirt of the same style.

He settled on maintaining a genial vibe between Akane and himself for the remainder of the evening. They engaged in relaxed conversation during their walk, discussing random topics that came to them. There was no arguing. There was no name-calling.

Ranma inwardly smiled at the existing moment. Although, exclusively rare, he enjoyed these moments most. He liked not having to raise his voice at her. Not having to retaliate with false insults to protect his pride. Not being struck by her in fury. And especially, not foolishly hurting her feelings and being repayed with the stabbing sight of her tears. Their encounter remained calm.

Instead, she indulged him with her lively smile every time he went out of his way to draw a funny joke or statement. Now that Ranma considered it, these jovial moments had been appearing frequently. It was obvious that their once edgy relationship had grown more casual.

And there had been something about her presence lately...

Something gentle.

Ranma couldn't directly define it, but it was soothing. He had realized that even during his most heightened moments, she now had the ability to calm him with just her presence alone. Whether from anger, sadness, or fear, something about feeling Akane's presence could now dissolve any extreme emotion he held. He found it almost frightening.

But at this particular moment, it was perfect.

...

They scooted down the row of theater seats in the dark. The previews were currently in session and the theater was full, nearly every row occupied. The refreshingly cool air brushed their skins and relaxed them. Ranma took his seat beside Akane and passed her half of the assortment of snacks he held. The previews were relatively easy to focus on and get through. Even when the film started both teens remained occupied with grasping the movie's plot.

'The Pastor's Daughter', as explained in the beginning credits and in various rumors, was based on a true story. It told of a young girl who's father (the pastor) had died. Unable to accept her father's death, the girl begins forbidden practices of necromancy to communicate with him. The mother soon begins to sense disturbing aura's around the house, believing it was now inhabited with spirits. She forbids her daughter from continuing the practices, but the young girl defys, and persists in her rituals day after day. When unusual incidents begin to occur around the house, such as doors and windows being mysteriously opened during the middle of the night, objects randomly falling and being moved, and the house pets displaying strange behaviors, there is no doubt that the house is plagued. One day, the mother arrives at the daughter's bedroom to an alarming sight.

The next scene of the movie sent the audience into revelation and horror. Ranma and Akane both jolted in disgust at the sight. A smeared trail of blood traced along the hallway floor leading to the young girl's bedroom. In panic, the mother rushed past the doorway and glanced around. The trail flowed to the spot where her daughter was sitting on the floor beside the bed. Resting across the girl's lap was the house cat, caked in blood and slashed open at the abdomen. A gushy, gory entanglement of innards dangled loosely from the cat's visible rib cage. The mother screeched in terror, along with a few members of the witnessing audience. Akane winced and looked away from the screen. Ranma imitated this action, but with an intense shudder.

The following scenes grew more disturbing as the plot advanced. It is later learned that the young girl was possessed by many spirits. During a more calm, slow scene, Ranma glanced over at Akane. She sat slightly slouched, leaning on her arm that lay propped on the armrest between them. Her eyes remained focused on the screen in a suspenseful concentration.

He couldn't help but take note at how cute she appeared at the moment. Ranma fidgeted unattentively, as he waited for the unfathomable conversation between the two exorcists on the screen to end. Akane must have shared his impatience because she shifted in her seat and threw him a glance. Their eyes locked for a moment until Akane's eyebrows arched in a distinctive manner as if asking, "what is it?".

Ranma, at loss of explanation, averted his attention back to the screen. After a few seconds of confusedly staring at him, Akane did the same and he sighed in relief. Ranma gripped the soft-drink in his hand. He couldn't clarify it, but the arbitrary urge to say something to her rose in him.

Though, even if he did, what would he say?

'How you enjoying the movie so far?' maybe. That was casual enough. 'Yeah. Let's go with that,' he thought. He slowly redirected his attention to her.

Once again, she was oblivious of his focus, too fixated on the movie screen. He watched her as he summoned his motivation to draw her attention. His lips parted slightly. Right when he drew a breath, preparing to speak, Akane shrieked and clutched his arm.

Ranma froze and stared at her. Her face lay nuzzled against his shoulder while her hands gripped his tensed bicep. He peaked back at the movie to discover the reason.

The demonic girl on the screen quaked violently as her inflamed eyes bulged. Her voice decreased to an abnormal bass tone and several pulsing veins pushed to the surface of her face. Many exorcists surrounded her on the bed, reciting verses from the large bible one of them held. "NO!" The girl continued to quake and shout as the spirit fought to oppose the piercing words. After her skin had flushed a fuming shade of red, her pupils vanished as her eyes rolled to the back of her head.

Akane cautiously opened an eye and peaked at the screen. The sight she was met with was no better than the previous, so she reverted to Ranma's arm. Ranma remained stiff as he nervously watched her through the corners of his eyes.

'Well...That answers my question.'

...

The early night sky took on an indigo tint accompanied by the semi-visible moon. Ranma and Akane walked alongside each other on their route home. His absent admiration of the night sky was intruded when he noticed Akane's sudden close proximity.

He didn't doubt that the movie probably made her anxious. He smirked to himself and rested his hands at the back of his head casually. "So...whaddja think?"

Akane glanced up at him. "...It was creepy."

Ranma laughed. "It wasn't that bad. I don't think it was as great as everyone was braggin' about...but it was still pretty good."

"Yeah, well next time, I'm choosing the movie. You got that?" she said. The way she pouted brought out an adorable attribute.

Ranma smiled. "Sure, you can. I don't really car-" He suddenly stopped and looked to his left, vigilantly. He froze.

Akane halted beside him. "What?...What is it?"

"Did you see that?" he whispered, glaring toward the direction of the bushes.

She followed his gaze. "See what?"

Ranma slowly shifted his body to face the direction of his concern. He stood, motionless for a second. Then with unpredicted momentum, he snatched a rock from the ground and hurled it at the bushes, causing the leaves to rustle. The rock produced a knocking sound when it landed, followed by three quieter ones, revealing that whatever had been in the spot was no longer there.

Ranma growled and Akane grabbed his arm, nervously. "Ranma...what is it?"

"Something was over there," he said. "...Whatever it was, it's gone now."

Akane stared through the darkness at the bushes. There was no movement. She glanced around them, warily. Her nerves had already been amplified by the jarring film they had just witnessed. The last thing she needed was the panic of knowing someone was following them.

"Come on," Ranma said. He grabbed her hand and continued on their previous path.

A familiar laugh suddenly emanated from behind them. Both teens swung around as the bushes rattled again in a different area. Just then, Happosai pounced out and landed a few feet from them. He hauled a large sack behind him. "Ranma, Akane. How are you two?" he grinned.

They both sighed and released their built tension.

"Oh. It's just the freak."

"Grandfather?"

"What are you kids doing out? It's getting pretty late," Happosai said.

"Yeah, we could ask you the same thing," Ranma frowned. "The heck are you doing sneakin' around like that, anyway?" Though the answer layed heavily in the sack on Happosai's back.

The old man smiled, cheerfully. "Oh, I was just out taking a walk. It's a beautiful night for a stroll, you know."

Ranma snarled in disgust. "Yeah and by "stroll", you mean panty raid. Now if you'd excuse us, we'll continue on our way. Unless there's something specific you wanted."

Happosai pulled out his pipe and lit it. He puffed at it thoughtfully. "Hmm...Anything I want..." He blew an artistic puff of smoke that drifted through the air and expanded until it vanished. After it had, he twirled the pipe in a baton like fashion. "Nope. There's nothing I want...but since you mentioned it...I think there's something that YOU might want."

"And what would that be?"

Happosai's eyes dilated and watered, giving him the appearance of a sensitive child. "My forgiveness. Apologize to your master for belittling me yesterday."

"Forget it." He turned away.

"...Are you sure? If you do it now all will be forgiven and forgotten."

"Positive. I'm not apologizing to you for doin' somethin' you deserved...Anything else?"

"...Nope." He looked up at Ranma through brooding eyes.

"Then let's go, Akane." Ranma walked away, Akane accompanying him not long after.

Happosai remained, watching as they continued on and disappeared after rounding a corner. He puffed at his pipe once more, before shaking his head. "Yep, just as I thought. Too prideful for his own good." He blew on the pipe before slipping it into his robes. Grasping his sack of loot securely, he took off, continuing his previously decided route for the night. There were still a few more houses he had failed to visit.

'Well, at least things will get interesting.'

**...**

**I have nothing to post here, because I've already posted at the beginning of the chapter...I hate when that happens...remind me never to post at the beginning of my chapters...**

**Anyway, if you review, you'll receive many blessings for the New Years. 3**


	3. Part 3

**Nightmares In Nerima**

**...  
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**Part 3**

**...  
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Akane elongated her limbs and yawned to provide her temporary release from the drowsiness that had caught up with her. She kicked off her shoes before entering the house with Ranma accompanying her. The faint, but conspicuous transition in temperature greeted them as they settled into their home.

Additionally, they were greeted by the deviant, though familiar exaggerated laughter of their fathers from the living room. Curiously, both teens arrived at the room to find the two older men seated across from each other at the table. A bottle of sake and a glass sat before either of them. The men subsided their laughter before turning to observe the two guests whose presence they had almost missed.

"Ranma! Akane!...hic...How are ya?" Genma uttered gleefully. A heavy flush masked his face, corresponding with that of his companion's.

"H-How...How'd you two...enjoy your date?" Soun stuttered.

Ranma stiffened in discomfort and blushed. "Date?...It wasn't a date! All we did was go see a stupid movi-" His defense was broken when Akane nudged him. She shook her head at him and the expression of pity on her face indicated that it was pointless to argue.

Ranma glanced back at their fathers. They both held dazed looks with goofy, moronic grins. He tentatively abandoned his protestant approach, deciding that she was right. He and Akane both knew by now that meaningful words rarely reached the two fathers when there were this drunk.

"Have lotsa fun?...You'res both out pretty late...hic!...tonight."

Akane rolled her eyes. "Come on, Ranma..." She advanced toward the staircase. After a moments hesitation, he followed, not far behind. They had barely made it to the top when Ranma heard the indistinct voices of their fathers jokingly blame him and Akane's late arrival on "naughty engagements". He jolted and froze on the steps. A deep awkwardness hit him and he wished hopefully, for embarrassment's sake, Akane hadn't heard what HE had.

Apparently she hadn't because when she reached the top step, she turned to him, normally. "I've got some homework to finish before bed. You want to join?"

Ranma needlessly stretched. "Uh..." A portion of his indolent mannerism repelled the idea of homework. "Nah, I think I'll just go ahead and turn in..."

"Oh...okay."

Her eye contact lasted a fragment of second too long, Ranma felt. He watched her as she turned away from him and started down the hall toward her bedroom. His eyebrow arched in interest.

Was that...DISAPPOINTMENT he had read on her face?

"Um...Goodnight," Akane called over her shoulder.

"...'Night..." he replied. "...Don't stay up too late."

She gave a small smile before closing her bedroom door behind her.

Ranma wandered the hallway aimlessly for a few minutes. Sleepiness was the last thing he felt at the moment. Regardless of what time they had arrived at the house, it still remained too early for him to fall asleep.

He made his way down the staircase, past his drunken father and Mr. Tendo, to the kitchen, where he made himself a quick snack. Within the next half hour, he found himself laying on his futon, staring through the darkness of the guest room. A faint light peaked in through the crack under the door, providing him enough illumination to see the ceiling.

The room was lonely.

It was probably due to the fact that Ranma had grown used to the large, snoring panda that accompanied him every night since that fatal incident in Jusenkyo. He rarely ever had to fall asleep at night without the company of his father.

Not that he was scared, he thought. He didn't NEED the old man next to him. Ranma just couldn't help but feel slightly incongruous. Especially with the unnerving scene flashbacks of the film they had witnessed revolving his mind. The more effort he centered on falling asleep, the harder it became.

The ceiling soon became his distraction as he forced himself to focus on anything besides possessed little girls to ease his mind. Anything at all, he thought.

Like how ridiculously hot it was throughout the house. Every window had been opened in hopes of diminishing the temperature, but to no accomplishment. He shifted irritably on his futon and rotated onto his side. Resting his head against the pillow, he closed his eyes in attempt to force himself to sleep.

Seconds turned into minutes. Minutes turned into ten minutes. Ten minutes turned into twenty-five.

A half-hour later he still lay awake. The long awaited drowsiness had finally washed over him, though in vain, because his mind refused to cooperate with his tired body. For some reason every time he closed his eyes, those agitating movie scenes would fill the blackness behind his eyelids. Even after trying to redirect his thoughts. Somehow they would always navigate back to images of demon spirits.

He sighed as the distant sounds of car horns and dog barks drifted through the window, instantly supplemented by laughter from downstairs.

Ranma clenched his fists. There had to something he could focus on that would divert him long enough to fall asleep. 'Anything!' he thought. His mind attempted to ramble over the events of his day.

That's when one thought came to mind.

Akane.

He remembered the sight of glancing up from his shoe locker earlier to find her standing a few feet away, waiting there for him. A warm smile had been positioned on her face as she waited for him to accompany her home. At that moment, his stomach had fluttered. The sensation had been foreign, while at the same time familiar from the few times prior he had experienced it around her.

Then there were the memories from the remainder of the day. The cute flush she obtained from the heat, the tasteful, figure-enhancing outfit she had worn outdoors, the delicate, bothered expression that had ingrained her features throughout the movie.

And especially the overwhelming feeling of her firm, though still femininely gentle, grasp on his arm during every horror scene.

All of these memories aroused a warm feeling in him and he suddenly felt himself blush. Why he had been thinking these pleasantly detailed thoughts about her lately was beyond him.

Why the simple sight of her smile had the ability to coerce him into submission was unclear.

And why just the chaste brush of her skin against him sent carnal shivers through him caused frustration.

'I-It's not like I...LIKE her or anything,' he continued to tell himself. She wasn't even his type. She was a violent tomboy, with near zero sex appeal, and dangerous cooking skills. There was nothing attractive about that.

For some reason, as he tried to convince himself of this, the insults felt extremely hollow. His heart had began thumping in a rapid pattern. He swallowed as several images of her flashed his mind.

He wasn't sure exactly how to define it, but if any of his schoolmates knew, he was pretty sure they would have labeled it a "crush". At this point Ranma wasn't sure what to call it.

But knew he would eventually "get over it", as his friends put it.

His mind now relaxed and stable, he gave way to the soothing, rest-pleasant thoughts his brain conjured right before he slowly drifted off.

'Mmm...Akane.'

...

Dim, orangish lights casted down upon the dark, empty streets of Nerima. Ranma glanced around. Any sign of life was completely absent and only the sharp whistle of wind that blew past him kept the streets from seeming dead.

He knew it was two in the morning and he had been out for hours now. But he couldn't return home. At least not yet.

He glanced around at the closed businesses and houses surrounding him. Not a single light gave off from any of them. Not a single body loitered the area. His heart clutched in concern.

"Akane!" he called. "...Akane!" He waited for a reply, for that familiar, assuring voice to call back in response. Several seconds passed and he received nothing other than another whistle from the wind.

"Akane, where are you!" The current street he wandered was unfamiliar to him. He had never been in this area before. But for some reason, he felt that she was not far from here and that if he continued looking, he would encounter her. Both safe and relieved and then they could return home.

From the nauseous, churning sensation that had ignited in the pit of his stomach, he decided that this should happen soon.

He rounded a random corner. He was faced with more closed, empty businesses and buildings. The large trees embedded on this street casted dark shadows further down the road. Ranma swallowed and his mouth grew dry. From where he stood, he could not see where the road ended.

"Akane!" he called again. The loud rustling of tree leaves, due to the strong wind, startled him. He glanced around at his environment once more. He had failed to notice before that the trees stood unusually tall. All of them seemed to reach four times higher than the average tree in Nerima. The dark, towering forms brought on an obvious sense of realization to Ranma.

He was alone. With not a single soul for miles, he suddenly felt the strong deserted atmosphere.

Against his will, a vulnerable ambiance surrounded him. Caution forced him to constantly look over his shoulder. The road ahead of him still continued on endlessly and he feared if he went any further, he would wander all the way out of Nerima.

He ended his stroll, coming to a blunt halt. He stomach churned again, anxiously.

It was time to make his way back around. He cut through an alley that he felt would lead him back to his original destination in less time, than if he retraced his steps. The revolting, strong odor of garbage met him as he passed many dumpsters.

'Akane...where are you?' he thought. He stared down at the oily gravel beneath his feet.

His thoughts were immediately shattered when a strangled "meow" came from behind him. Ranma jolted and swung around. There laying on the ground before him was a smashed kitten, no larger than the size of his hand.

"Aagh!" Ranma coiled. From the looks of it, he had absently stepped on it. The kitten twitched awkwardly. After a few seconds, the animal peeled itself from the ground and returned to its original shape.

Ranma's eyes bulged at the sight. "What the-?" The kitten meowed again and took a careful step towards him. It's large, purple childlike eyes blinked at him a few times curiously.

Ranma froze. "Gaaah!...Stay Back!" He shuffled backwards as the kitten imitated his steps, innocently.

Ranma continued backing away. After so much distance, he felt his foot bump something. 'Uh-oh.' he thought. He gulped before he hesitantly twisted his neck to glance over his shoulder.

"Aaagh!" He jerked forward and swung toward the new sight before him. Four adult cats ambled around the alley. The black cat closest to him (which had been the one he bumped), glared at him, ominously through penetrating yellow eyes. The cat swayed its tail in a dance-like manner. Its eyes squinted before its mouth spread widely, revealing pointed fangs and a long slithering tongue that was split at the end.

Ranma dashed past the cat and took off down the alley. His sudden frantic had thrown the other three cats into panic and they charged at him as he darted past them. "Aaaaaagh! GET AWAY!" Several tiny claws slashed at his legs.

Ranma continued until he arrived at the intersection of the alley and street. He turned sharply and shot down the street past a man and woman who stood outside their house. "Help!" Ranma shouted. It felt as if his legs weighed three times what they had before.

The man and woman giggled at the sight.

Ranma threw a sharp glance over his shoulder. The cats were not far behind. He noticed that a lot more of them had joined the chase. Ranma dashed toward the next house on his path.

Fortunately for him, the lights were on. "Hey!" He banged on the door continously. "Let me in!" The loud sound of his fist impacting the door echoed throughout the entire street.

"Who is it?" a feminine voice called from the opposite side.

"Er...y-you don't know me but...I-I'm being chased! You gotta let me in."

The door slowly creaked open and a woman peaked out.

"Please," Ranma said. "You gotta help me."

She simply nodded and opened the door wider, allowing him access to the house. Ranma rushed in and slammed the door behind himself, securing every lock. His heart pounded drastically and he huffed for breath.

He turned around and pressed his back to the door, relieved. "Thank you so mu-" Ranma hesitated.

His eyes scanned the home of the woman who had just assisted him. There was nothing wrong with it. It looked like any normal house, with furniture, old, faded wall paper, and lamps lining the front room.

It was the woman's "houseguest" sitting on the couch that had thrown him off. This said houseguest was currently occupied with the old-fashioned television set in front of them.

"AKANE?" His mouth fell open.

Akane looked up from the t.v.. A smile spread across her face. "Hi, Ranma!"

Ranma immediately made his way over to her. He frowned down at the bowl of ice cream in her hands. Then at the t.v. screen. Then back at her. "What the hell're you doin'?"

She stared up at him, innocently. "Oh. SdsfABsdfhVCvuaszvb invited me over for dinner."

Ranma stared at her in disbelief. A shaken shade of blue washed over him. "Do you know how long I've been looking for you?"

Her features suddenly twisted into guilt. "Oh, I'm sorry...Did you want to come, too?"

Ranma frowned. "No! I was looking for you because I thought you had run away or somethin'...You shoulda told us you were going to see a friend."

"Sorry. I'll remember next time." she said, smiling cutely. Her tone was way too casual for Ranma's liking.

But her sudden smile made his anger melt away.

Both of their attentions were torn away, when a thundering knock sounded. They glanced at the door.

"Oh, shit." The situation suddenly resurfaced. Ranma backed into a corner. He had no doubt that his previous aggressors had found him. He suddenly dove behind the couch as the woman opened the front door. He squeezed into the tight space and cradled into a ball.

"Yes?" the woman asked.

"We're looking for Ranma Saotome," said a formal masculine voice. "He assaulted our kitten. Would you lead us to him?"

Ranma peaked through the crack of his hiding place. All he could make out was the woman's feet at the open doorway.

"Sure. He went back there." she said. She shuffled out of the way and opened the door completely.

Ranma jolted as several cats strolled over the threshold and glanced around the house. They went directions. Ranma inwardly shrieked and held his breath. He watched through the crack as the vengeful cats paced back and forth, searching for him.

"Here he is!" a voice shouted. Ranma gasped and looked over his shoulder. A female cat stood at the opposite end of the couch, peaking in through the other crack. She glared at him and slid her way through the tight space between the couch and the wall.

Ranma froze. "Wait...No!" He attempted to scoot away but was restrained but the limited room. The cat ignored his cry of protest and approached his feet.

"AAAGH!" He jumped up, briskly, with enough force to drive the couch forward and provide himself enough room to escape. He darted from behind the couch and automatically reached for the umbrella perched up against the wall.

He shook nervously, as he held the umbrella in front of him, protectively. "Stay away!"

The cats seemed visibly unfazed by his threat. They surrounded him. The same black cat from before, stopped accurately in front of him. It was obvious that this cat was the leader. "You've defiled us, Ranma Saotome...Defiled us in the worse way possible."

"B-But...what I do?" Ranma attempted to sustain the stability of his tone and voice.

"You killed one of our kin!" the cat screeched.

Ranma shuddered. 'Killed?' he thought. "B-But it was an accident. I'd never-"

"Silence!"

He winced.

"The offense is already done...Now you answer to us!" The cat suddenly stretched in a normal manner, and yawned, how most cats do. The black slitted pupils of the cat's eyes suddenly vanished. A dark, crimson pool began to swirl and wash over the once yellow eyeballs. The cat continued to stretch, intensely, as if waiting for something to erect.

Seconds later, massive, sharp-edged claws shot out from the tips of the cat's paws. The large piercing fangs from before returned. The black fur surrounding the cat suddenly spiked in a predatory manner.

Ranma watched terrorized. He took a step back, only to be intercepted by the cats surrounding him from behind. The deep, scowls staining their faces suggested that there was no way out.

With unanticipated speed, the black cat charged at him. There was a slicing impact before Ranma saw the splatter of blood gush through the air. His breath got caught in his throat as he waited for the agonizing pain he knew would follow.

To his mistakenness, it never came.

He opened his eyes cautiously and scanned around for his opponent. His mouth dropped slightly.

Instead, Akane stood there holding a blood-speckled bokken. She breathed heavily as she frowned down at the blood covered cat laying on the floor in front of them. A pool of innards surrounded it.

"A...Akane?"

She smiled at him. "I'm here, Ranma."

He stood shocked for a moment. He almost had time to return her smile, when the remaining cats tackled her. "Aiiiegh!" she shrieked.

"Akane!" Ranma rushed forward with the umbrella in hand. He bashed one cat, who instantly fell off of her. He bashed another cat who did the same. But by the time he had reached the fourth cat, the first two had managed to pounce her again.

"Ranma, help!" The cats clawed at her skin furiously, drawing massive amounts of blood.

"Akane!" He struck another two cats. Then another two. They all managed to cling themselves to her again.

"Aw, screw it!" he shouted. He held the pointed end of the umbrella upright, hoping this would work. With controlled, jerks of his wrist, he aimed at one of the cats.

"Kachu Tenshin Omugurikin!"

An assortment of felines were tossed through the air. When their launches were cut short by the ceiling, Ranma positioned himself. He prodded the cats, one by one, with the umbrella, at incredible speed. Several squirts of blood splattered as the maimed cats hit the ground.

Akane peaked around her, alarmingly, as she clutched herself. Tears were evident in her eyes. "R-Ranma."

Self-satisfied, Ranma lowered his umbrella and turned to her. "Akane. Are you alright?" He examined the the bleeding wounds and scratches covering her body. They didn't appear as severe as they should have been.

"...I-I'm fine." She forced a weak smile. Ranma shook his head at her botched attempt. "Now look at you...You're all-" He was cut off when Akane suddenly threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly. Ranma tensed and stared down at her.

"...I'm s-so sorry, Ranma," she sobbed. "This would have never happened if I hadn't..."

Ranma hesitantly reached up and stroked her hair. "Shhh...It's okay." He returned her embrace and allowed her to sob freely against his shoulder. He closed his eyes and rested his cheek against her head.

Neither of them spoke for several moments, and the woman stated that she would return in a few moments with a broom and mop, so they could clean up the mess.

Ranma happened to squint his eyes open. When he did he gasped. The once lifeless, battered cats were now slowly sliding across the floor toward them. Each one trailed a flow of blood with them. Their innards dragged along the floor with them.

"A-A-Akane..." He pushed away from her. "Look!"

She reluctanly turned and followed his gaze. "Oh my god!" She pressed closer to him in caution. "What do we do now?"

"I-I...I don't know," he trembled. The slayed cats surrounded them in a circle of blood and guts. Ranma tensed up as one made its way to his feet. He quivered violently.

"NOOO!"

SMACK! "Grrbrr."

Ranma's eyes shot open and he sat up. At first, darkness was all he could draw from his surroundings. But eventually he noticed the familiar large panda standing over him holding a sign, encased in sloppy writing.

Ranma ignored the sign as he struggled to get a grip on his current position. He sat in the guestroom of the Tendo's house on his futon. His labored breaths slowed and his heart continued to thump rapidly.

"Hoh..." he groaned. It had been a dream. The panda had retreated to his own futon and layed the sign, conveniently beside him. Ranma glanced down at himself, from his feet up to his hands. 'Thank God.'

He shakenly ran his fingers through his damp hair and sighed. The events were fresh in his mind and it was difficult to transition completely back into reality. He slowly reached toward the floor and pushed himself into standing position. An achy, weak sensation caused him to falter and fight to keep his balance. Once he had, he slowly made his way over to the door. He carefully reached for it, as if he wasn't exactly sure what would happen when his hand made contact.

He slid the door open and stepped out into the dark hallway. It remained empty and quiey, as it should have been.

He glanced into the mirror when he reached the bathroom. "Whoa, was that weird." Admittingly, he had had some pretty strange dreams before, but none as intense as his current.

He doused his face in warm water. "Man...after that I don't think I'll go back to sleep." He shook off the troubling after effects and flipped the light switch off.

Concuring with his statement, he decided against returning to bed. He shuffled down the staircase and down the hall.

School was only in a few more hours. He settled on occupying himself for the remainder of the night with some training in the dojo.

...

**Look at that. There's another update. XD**

**Wow. Crazy, huh? I just couldn't resist myself. I kinda let my imagination run away with this one. Not sure if its for the best or worse though. Why don't you decide.**

**Leave any reviews and comments. Maybe even as a New Years Gift. :3 And I'll try to update within the next two weeks. Happy Holidays!**


	4. Part 4

**Nightmares In Nerima  
**

**...  
**

**Part 4**

**...  
**

Ranma yawned and stretched after completing a customary kata. Three hours had passed and his interest had gradually waned away from the recurrent movements he performed. The sun had risen in the distance, casting a fusion of orange, crimson, and cerise in the eastern portion of the morning sky. He blinked away the sleepiness that had pestered him for the past two hours and stood straight.

Breakfast would be served soon, so Ranma settled on completing a few more katas before turning in. He stooped his fatigued body into a relaxed, martial stance and glared at the invisible opponent who had accompanied him in the dojo for the past few hours. His fist shot out and impacted the air in front of him, followed by another punch and then a kick. He followed with a combination of both.

With his attention only half-devoted, Ranma immediately noticed the new presence that lurked by the dojo entrance. He paused, mid-strike, and turned his head in that direction.

"Akane?"

She stood leaning againt the doorway in a tank top and pajama shorts, watching him. Once Ranma revealed his consciousness of her company, she jerked away from the door and shuffled toward him. She halted before him and frowned.

Ranma waited expectantly and examined her weary, irritated demeanor. Thick, pink bags bordered under her watery eyes.

"Um...what's up?" Ranma asked, carefully.

Akane's frown tightened and the palm of her hand connected with his cheek in a mild, but stinging impact. Ranma's eyebrows furrowed. "What wassat for?"

"THAT...," Akane emphasized, her reprimanding face now only inches from his. "...was for taking me to go see that movie last night...I got absolutely NO sleep."

He turned away from her, smugly. "Hey, don't take it out on me. If it scared you so much we coulda just left the theater."

Akane clenched her fists by her sides. "I wasn't scared..."

"Sure," he replied, sarcastically.

Akane stared at him, before glancing around the dojo. "What are you doing up so early, anyway?"

Unless he was engaging in a early morning sparring session with his father, Ranma usually slept in. Occasionally even through breakfast. "Uh..." He looked away. "You know, I kinda woke up early..."

Akane smirked, a know-it-all mien influencing her posture. "Oh...so YOU couldn't sleep either-"

"Hey, it's not like that, okay?" Ranma frowned and blushed. "It wasn't because of the movie...I just..."

Akane decided to acquit him and change the current topic. "So are you gonna jog with me today or not?"

"Huh?" His frown subsided.

"You promised yesterday morning you'd jog with me...since you're up now, we should do a few laps before school."

"I-I guess..." He rubbed the back of his head. Akane smiled at him, content. "Great. Meet me out front."

...

Akane grunted in irritation and absently tapped the eraser end of her pencil against her lip. Her eyelids had grown fairly heavy. Against her will, her concentration would potently steer away from the teacher's voice and the chalk board every few seconds. Occasionally her body would surrender to the deprivation of sleep and drift off. Fortunately, the jarring squeak of chalk against the board would wake her before the teacher noticed.

'Stupid Ranma,' she thought. He was to blame. If she received detention because of him she would have a decent serving of 'mallet' waiting for him after school.

Deciding that a glare warning was necessary, Akane glanced over her shoulder at the seat behind her. She was disappointed to find Ranma knelt over, head resting on his desk. He lay motionless, his eyes closed and his breaths deep and even. Akane frowned.

Who gave him the right to sleep? She was tired too, but she didn't have the option to sleep in class. She returned her attention to the teacher and considered giving Ranma a good whack. When Mr. Yamata turned his back and jotted notes along the board again, Akane slightly shifted in her seat. She frowned at her fiance and lifted her hand above his sleeping form.

The boy lay oblivious to anything around him. She couldn't avoid the hesitation that caused her to halt and stare at him. There was an uncommon innocence about him at this moment. He had obviously lost just as much sleep as she had the previous night.

Akane smirked to herself. 'Dummy...If the movie disturbed him so much, why can't he just admit it.' She wouldn't have held it against him. She turned back around in her seat, deciding that he probably could use the sleep.

...

"Great job, Ranma."

The pig-tailed boy smiled at the continuous praise as one of his schoolmates patted him on the back. "Thanks."

The bell rung, signaling the end of P.E.. Students began to clear from the gymnasium and arrive toward the student lockerrooms. The male students moved toward the eastern side of the building in a noisy cluster. Ranma followed behind, thoughtlessly.

He passed several rows of lockers and benches, some of which were occupied by undressed males, clad in towels. The sound of simultaneous voices filled the room. He arrived at his own assigned locker and opened it. As usual, the feeble gossips and chatters of his schoolmates met his inattentive ears. He did nothing to stop them, for infrequently he would hear something interesting.

But oddly, the voices of the other males reached him as random gibberish, rather than distinctive words.

Casually, Ranma reached for the hem of his sweat shirt and lifted it over his head.

"Hey, did you guys see Akane play today? She was awesome," he suddenly deciphered from the fog of nonsense.

"Yeah. Her pitch is great. We should get her to play for our team at lunchtime."

Ranma peeked at them, interestedly, through the corners of his eyes.

"...Hey, I never really noticed this until today," another boy said. "...but Akane's got a great body." Ranma jerked and frowned.

"Did you see her in those gym shorts?"

A few more boys joined in, enthusiastically. "I know! And don't forget about those gym socks...Hot!"

The pig-tailed boy growled to himself. As if their little lockerroom scandals weren't bad enough, he really wished they would leave Akane out of them.

"Man, Saotome," one boy said, gripping Ranma's shoulder. "You are one lucky guy."

Ranma turned back to his locker, nonchalantly. "How so?" He removed his sweat pants and tossed them along with his shirt.

"Look at your fiancee. She's strong, smart, good-looking...I wish I had half of that for a girlfriend." The other boys nodded in agreement.

Ranma attempted to suppress a blush. "You guys are exaggerating." He wrapped his towel around his waist and shut the locker. When he faced the boys again, he suddenly froze. The room had grown dangerously quiet and every pair of eyes studied him.

His clueless eyes scanned them all back. An abrupt sensation of diffidence washed over him and the smothering air of the lockerroom suddenly held a prickly chill. "What?" he asked.

"...So you're not even the slightest bit interested in her?"

"Not even," he replied turning away. The male students suddenly appeared larger than they had seconds before.

Another deadly silence followed.

He curiously glanced at all their faces to find their eyes still locked on him. But this time, their attention wasn't on his face. Ranma furrowed his brows and glanced down. 'What's with the-'

"Aaaaagh!" he shouted. He stared in horror at the two large breasts that now took position on his chest. He looked back at his schoolmates. They all held amused, fascinated expressions.

"Whoa...Nice ones, Saotome."

One boy gazed, lustfully. "Wow." Saliva dripped from the corners of his mouth.

Ranma trembled in shock. "What the hell?" His once broad, toned arms had been replaced with slimmer, feminine ones. His firm, defined abdominals were now a flat, smooth surface. There were curves were his waist once was.

How had this happened? he thought. His curse had been ambiguously triggered with no presence of cold water. A chilling wind grazed his bare skin, sending shivers down his spine.

The gawking eyes of his witnesses sparked his insecurity. He covered his chest. "...H-Hey...s-stop starin' will ya!"

The boys centered around for a better view. "Hey, Saotome's even better built than Akane," someone called. Ranma blushed. "Shutup!"

The uncomfortable close proximity of them made him tense. He attempted to scoot back, only for his back to collide with the lockers behind him. The boys towered over him, suddenly several feet taller.

A swift hand reached out and snatched the loosely folded towel from around his waist. The crowd marveled in yearning. Ranma shrieked and glanced down at the bare, red patch of curls centered between his thighs. His fury took over and he swung at one of the surrounding boys. His fist impacted the boys jaw softly, like an effortless tap.

The boy disregarded it and slowly reached a hand toward Ranma's lower region.

Ranma's breath hitched in his throat as he stared in terror.

"GAAAAAH!"

"RANMA SAOTOME!"

He jerked at the sensation of a painless thud to his head. When his eyes creaked open a black object landed before him, producing a cloud of white dust. The room was silent and every pair of eyes were glued to him. Even Akane's.

Mr. Yamata glared, less than pleased. "SLEEPING in class is one matter...but if you feel the necessity to DISTURB also...your best interests are in the hall." He pointed to door.

The boy blinked a few times, waiting for his sense of reality to return. Without further hesitation, he stood from his seat and exited the classroom, obvious of the many eyes that followed him. One pair being Akane's, filled with concern.

...

Ranma sighed, lazily balancing two buckets. Drowsiness still plagued him and a dream-like atmosphere still surrounded him. 'That was even weirder than the last,' he thought.

He stared out the hallway window, tired.

He couldn't wait until dismissal. A nap was definitely on his to do-list for later.

...

**Yay. An update!**

**May be a little short...Sorrys.**

**I don't know about you guys, but I love this story. Review and I'll give you something new. ^ ^**


	5. Part 5

**Nightmares In Nerima**

**...  
**

**Part 5**

**...  
**

Akane closed her locker and thoroughly scanned the array of students around her. Though many familiar faces surrounded her, the particular one she sought wasn't in view. Her fingers clutched the handle of her satchel firmly and she winded around the random clusters of noisy schoolmates, toward the school exit.

The invasive rays of sunlight caused her to wince upon arriving at the school yard. She paused momentarily at the foremost step and glanced around. Unsuccessful at spotting her focus, she threw one last glance over her shoulder before continuing on.

Ranma paced toward the schoolgates. Though still casual, his steps didn't lack a certain amount of haste that would allow him a peaceful trip home. He knew Akane hadn't left the building yet. And it was to his advantage because now all he needed to do was make it home before her so he could avoid the curious interrogation that was guaranteed to spout in one of their conversations. He had practically felt her questioning concern in their last few classes when he had randomly looked up to find her eyes fixed on him. The thoughtful expression ingrained on her face had suggested that she was observantly considering something. Almost as if she was studying him for possible answers.

He had suffered a generous amount of embarrassing accusations and grilling from his friends at lunch about his outburst in class.

Ranma had leaned back in his chair and stretched. Another yawn managed to force its way past him. He absently stared down at the empty bento in front of him and blinked back the drowsiness stressing his eyelids.

He barely noticed when his friends sat around him with their own lunches. The humor on their faces was evident.

"Hey," Daisuke said casually.

"Yo."

Hiroshi couldn't help but chuckle as he tore open the package surrounding his noodle bread. "Just so you know...Yamata assigned a test in a few days. You missed the lecture of what's gonna be on it."

Ranma shrugged. "I'll...just get the notes from Akane."

Hiroshi threw Daisuke a thoughtful look, with the previous humor still present.

"...So what's up with this "dream" you had?...You screamed loud enough to disturb the entire school."

"Eh...It was nothing serious," he replied.

"What was it about?" Daisuke asked. Ranma wasn't sure if he was comfortable with the suggestive tone of his voice.

He leaned back further in the chair and closed his eyes. "Look...I said it was nothin' serious."

"Oh...why're you blushing then?"

He let the chair fall and rest on all four legs. "I'm not blushi-"

"Hey, you guys."

The three boys paused and looked up at their visitor.

Akane stood there holding a sloppily prepared bento box.

"Hey."

"Hi, Akane."

Ranma stared at her expectantly. After a brief hesitation, she held the bento out towards him and smiled. "Here, Ranma...I, uh...made you-"

With little effort or interest, his hand came up and motioned at the empty bento in front of him. She glanced at the empty box then back up at him. Though he hadn't spoken, his gesture provided enough explanation of what he was trying to say.

Her features slightly dropped. "Uh...o-okay." She slowly lowered the box with her dissappointed eyes still matched with his.

"Akane. Over here!" She turned at the voices of her friends who sat not too far away. "Coming."

They watched as she walked away.

Ranma felt his heart twinge. He honestly hadn't wanted to reject her cooking. But with other students around, interestedly observing his reaction, he didn't want to provide another opening for their overemployed jokes. And fortunately, he had possibly just saved himself from a painful week's worth of bedrest. Hiroshi and Daisuke turned to their friend, pity now replacing humor's position.

"Aw, come on, Ranma."

He sighed wearily. "Butt out, guys. If you feel that bad, than YOU shoulda offered ta eat it."

The two boys froze as an eery chill ran through them and Ranma smirked at the successful effect his point produced.

"B-But she's YOUR fiancee," Daisuke said.

"What's that got to do with it?"

"Alot," Hiroshi justified. "You're supposed to accept her cooking willingly. I mean, how many girls do you know here actually take the time of day to cook for a guy?...Although...YOU don't really have that problem, Ranma."

Daisuke nodded in agreement.

Ranma glanced over in the direction of the girls' table. Akane had seemed to momentarily forget about the situation and was now carelessly laughing at something her friends said. Regardless, he knew Hiroshi was right.

Akane only put forth the effort because she wanted to symbolize her care. And though, Ranma honestly wished she would shift to a different method of "symbolization", he would never again hold it against her.

He had been so consumed by the thoughts that he hadn't noticed he was still staring at her. The wakening sight of her amber eyes locked to his, caused him to tear his focus away from her. Blood rushed to his face, creating a hot sensation.

He waited several seconds until he was positive she could no longer be staring at him. Pupils averting to the corners of his eyes, he peeked over to find he had been correct.

Every muscle in his body released their awkward tension.

But the tension immediately returned when he looked up to find his friends staring at him, skeptically.

"W-What?..."

A grin took form on both their faces and Hiroshi looked over his shoulder and Daisuke cocked his neck to get a better view of where Ranma had been staring the last couple of seconds.

"Oh, we see...So tell us...What's with the dreamy expression?"

Ranma blinked. "...Dreamy...?"

They leaned in closer with the intension of making him uncomfortable. "We see how you look at her. You can't hide it, Ranma."

"W-Wha..."

"I told you he was blushing," Daisuke said.

Ranma fought the continuous darkening of his skin shade. He swallowed. "Oh, come off it!" he frowned.

"But we're right aren't we?..." Hiroshi snapped. "Oh! And speaking of "dreams", I think I know what you dreamt about during math class...It all makes sense now. The groaning, the blushing...It's obvious."

The wicked smile plastered on his face made Ranma eyes grow wide. "Oh, no...you'd better not-"

"The way you cried out at the end..."

They had better not even go there, Ranma thought.

He glanced around frantically, searching for any near-by eavesdroppers. "Will you two shut up!"

His two friends smiled, suggestively. "What? So you DID have a wet drea-OOMPH!"

Daisuke found his face smothered with the mashed contents of his lunch. Ranma stood, irritably from the table. "I'll be outside," he said through gritted teeth.

Hiroshi watched cautiously as he walked out of the classroom. When Ranma disappeared around the corner, he turned back to his companion with a euphoric smile. "Hilarious! That never gets old, huh Daisuke."

Lacking some of his friend's amusement, Daisuke scooped away at his food mask. He, nonchalantly, grunted in agreement.

...

Ranma shook his head. The satchel balanced on top altered slightly and he reached up to steady it.

He wasn't sure which held more humiliation. His friends knowing about his dream of being "violated" by them, or them thinking it had been about Akane. Worse than either one of those, he would most likely have to deal with Akane's interrogation next. Which would be a lot more difficult to escape. Nowadays, it was almost impossible for Akane not to see right through any fib he put forward. And after a while he couldn't even draw the energy to lie to her anymore.

He yawned for the hundreth time that day.

He knew he wouldn't be able to avoid her for long, but if he could just make it home soon and maybe lay down for a nap, it would provide enough stalling time.

...

"I'm home!" Akane called as she positioned her shoes in the hallway. She arrived at the living room to find her father and Mr. Saotome seated to either side of the shoji board. Kasumi sat by the table having tea.

"Hello," she greeted.

Akane stared around the room. "Uh...did Ranma come home yet?"

Kasumi sipped from her cup and nodded. "Poor Ranma. His head hit the pillow as soon as he came home. He must tired."

'Huh?' Akane thought. Her initial grudge of him leaving her behind simmered as realization hit her. 'He did say he didn't sleep well last night...That's probably why he didn't feel like waiting for me.'

She started up the staircase to her own bedroom. She couldn't scold him the least bit for that. She had lost many hours of sleep herself. She changed out of her school uniform and sat at her desk. The fan positioned by the window rustled the pages of her notebook.

She couldn't help remembering the incident in Mr. Yamata's class.

She had lazily jotted the everlasting notes that the teacher scribbled on the board. Her mind had drifted away to random thoughts when the man's back was turned to her for more than two minutes. She glanced at her other classmates who fidgeted in discomfort, some due to the heat and others, due to complete boredom. The sound of a chirp drew her attention toward the window.

The sunlight bore vigorously through the glass, illuminating the entire room. Through the piercing light, she spotted the silhouette of two baby robins interacting on the opposite side of the glass. A smile tugged at her lips as she watched them.

"Akane Tendo." Mr. Yamata's bold voice seemed to thunder through the silence of the room. Her eyes snapped away from the window and landed on him.

"Y-Yes sir?..."

"I take it you have ALL of this written down?"

Akane glanced at the board behind him. Within the last five minutes, he had managed to scribble another full board of notes. She looked down at her paper and considered the difference.

"Um..." Before she could continue her reply, the man's face twisted in irritation.

"Ranma Saotome!"

The entire class turned to look at the current possessor of the teacher's spotlight. Akane looked over her shoulder at her fiance. His head lay comfortably on the desk. Small snores escaped his mouth, accompanied by occasional groans.

"Ranma," Akane whispered.

The boy slightly jerked. "No...,"he moaned.

The teacher turned toward the chalkboard and reached for an eraser.

Akane quickly shook her fiance's shoulder. "Ranma."

He shifted and groaned.

"Psssst."

"GAAAHHH!"

"RANMA SAOTOME!"

An eraser flew past Akane's head and impacted his forehead. Ranma jolted up as a cloud of white dust rose around him. An adorable mix of confusion, fear, and embarrasment took over his sleepy features. Few students restrained their giggles.

Akane watched as Ranma shuffled toward his punishment in the hallway. An obvious flush ran from his face down to his neck. Several times throughout the day, Akane found herself staring at the boy in thought. Mostly out of curiosity.

...

She reached for the fan and adjusted it to where it wouldn't blow directly in her direction. The fluttering pages of her notebook fell still and she began to write. She stiffled back her ninth yawn of the day.

'Mmm...I think I'll turn in early tonight.'

...

The sun shone excessively bright against the azure painted afternoon sky. A few clouds were present taking on peculiar shapes. The largest, fluffiest cloud resembled the shape of a heart. And Ranma was sure it wasn't just coincidental.

He glanced over at the beautiful girl walking beside him. Her short-blue hair held a radiant shine, complimented by the daylight and her glistening amber eyes appeared much more deep and alluring than they usually did.

She looked stunning.

Ranma's breath froze in his throat when she looked up. Her broad, affectionate eyes found his and for a moment, he was paralysed. His gaze traced away from her eyes, over her nose, stopping at her lips.

They held an inviting, glossy moisture that yanked at him. The way they parted, signaling she was about to speak, sent a quiver through his flesh, though there was no known chill in the air on this hot summer day.

He couldn't help but thank their kami that she did speak, because it broke the sudden magnet that had been forcing his head closer and closer to hers.

"Ranma..." Her voice came out overly soft and breathy. He closed his eyes and bit back the groan that begged to be released. A caressing breeze blew past them, heightening his arousal.

"Yeah..." He manipulated the bass of his voice to add a sexy tone.

The way the corner of her mouth curled inferred that she liked it. "Thanks for inviting me on this date. I'm having a good time so far."

"Me too," he replied casually. He felt a euphoric sensation wash through him. 'SHE'S HAVING A GOOD TIME!' the truthful portion of his mind shouted. He couldn't help but smile also. The prideful portion on his mind just nodded in agreement. 'Good.'

Ranma's hand reached out and brushed hers. Without hesitation, Akane accepted the proposal and looped her fingers through his. They continued down the street admiring the amusing sights they passed.

A mail carrier struggled to escape from the firm grasp of a chihuahua that nibbled at his rear end. Ranma laughed and pointed out the scene to Akane.

Akane giggled when she spotted two birds quarreling with a squirrel over what looked like a half-eaten nut. The squirrel surrendered and scurried up a near-by tree when the birds began to furiously flap their wings at him.

They both broke out in chuckles when the ice cream man lost his defense against a large mob of elementry schoolers. He rushed to grab the available ice creams laying on the ground before the kids got hold of them and took off as many of them already had.

Ranma and Akane smiled at the sight of two toddlers innocently scribbling on the sidewalk with chalk.

The day couldn't have been more wonderful. There were no crazy fiancee's chasing after him, no meddling parents, and best of all, he had Akane all to himself for the evening. As far as he was concerned, nothing could ruin that.

He glanced down at the convenient watch on his wrist. "We should hurry. The movie starts in a few minutes."

She tightened her grip on his hand and smiled up at him. "Okay."

They walked across the bridge that led to the plaza. No cars were present on this afternoon, providing them a clear path on the street.

"Ranma-kun...," came Akane's voice.

His heart shuddered at the intimate addressing. "...Y-Yeah?"

She released his hand and wrapped it around his arm. "Are we going to see another horror movie?" The indifference in her voice was strong.

He looked down at her. "Uh...we don't have to if you don't wanna. You can choose the movie this time."

She smiled and rested her head against his shoulder, tenderly.

'YES!' the truthful portion of his mind shouted for some reason. His inner contentment was becoming hard to mask. Ranma looked around the streets. There had to be a shorter route to the theater than the one they were taking. For some reason it seemed as if they had walked across this bridge three times already.

He looked up at the sky, which now was filled with thick heavy, gray clouds. The clouds blocked the sun's access, leaving a dim, gloomy atmosphere. The temperature dropped and a unique amount of moisture filled the air.

Ranma groaned. "Oh no. It's not about to rain, is it?"

Akane studied the sky. "The weather man didn't say anything about a storm. And it's ninety-seven degrees."

It WAS ninety-seven degrees. The clouds rolled over thick and dark, casting the streets with an early night appearance. A sharp chill rose in the air. Ranma stared up again in confusion.

"Hey...Akane." He nudged her.

"Huh?"

"...Why're the clouds movin' so fast?"

She looked up at the unbelievable sight above them.

The once motionless black, smoke-like clouds slid across the sky at the average speed of a car.

"I-I don't know..."

Ranma halted as he nearly collided with a running stranger. The stranger dashed past them, frantically. "Run! It's the end of the world!"

Ranma and Akane blinked. "What?"

Large rain drops began to fall lightly.

They continued on down the deserted streets, debating whether they should disregard the situation and continue their date. Ranma cursed himself as he felt his body shrink and reform under the influence of the heavy falling rain.

Akane suddenly stopped walking, causing Ranma to bump her. "...What? What is it?"

"Oh my god!"

"What!" he asked, attentively.

"It's Ryoga!" She pointed ahead.

Coming through the foggy mist, was a familiar silhouette. The lost boy approached them, umbrella positioned over him.

"Ryoga!" Akane called cheerfully.

Ryoga's head was bowed slightly and he came to an abrupt halt in front of them. "Ranma..."

Ranma stared at him. "What?"

Ryoga lifted his umbrella and closed it. "...Prepare to die!" He charged at the pig-tailed boy with the sharp end of the umbrella. Ranma managed to react at the last minute and dodge it, right before it pierced his chest.

Ryoga charged again aiming at a center point on his forehead over and over. Ranma sluggishly dodged all. "Hold on!" He gripped the edge of the umbrella and used it to launch himself up and over Ryoga's head. He landed behind him.

"What did I do this time?"

Ryoga ignored the question and swung his leg in Ranma's direction. Ranma jumped back and dodged. Without hesitation, the Lost boy countered with another jab of his umbrella toward Ranma's head.

"Will ya cut it out, Porky!" He smashed his foot into Ryoga's face.

An awkward moment passed with no movement. Ryoga lost balance and tipped over when Ranma finally removed his foot.

He glanced down at his rival and grinned, smugly. "Serves ya right."

His grin disappeared when he felt Akane tap his shoulder. "Ranma..."

He turned around. "Yeah?"

SMACK!

The rumbling impact of her palm to his face rang louder than the thunder in the distance. He stood frozen in shock for several minutes. When he finally came out of his stupor, he found Akane at Ryoga's side.

"Whatcha do THAT for?"

Akane glared up at him. A piercing distaste now replaced the pleasant kindness that used to exist.

"I've told you countless times NOT to pick on Ryoga!"

Ranma's mouth dropped. "PICK on him?...I...He ATTACKED me!"

"Are you okay, Ryoga?" She shook the boy gently. "He didn't hurt you did he?"

Ryoga mumbled and then sat up. Ranma was so dazed by shock that he didn't notice when Ryoga's umbrella stabbed his forehead. "OW!" He rubbed the spot furiously before frowning. "Stupid, Pig!" He charged at the boy, only to be restrained by Akane's foot. He tripped over it and landed flat on his face.

"Akane! What do ya think you're doin?"

"I'm not gonna let you harrass him."

Ranma stood to his feet and faced her. "Oh no. You're not gonna seriously sit here and take his side are ya?"

"Of course I am!"

Ranma's features slowly furrowed. He took a step back as a throbbing pain struck his chest. He stood paralysed again. And it wasn't as pleasing as it had been earlier. "A-Akane..."

She turned back to Ryoga. Her expression instantly shifted from furious to friendly. "It's okay, Ryoga-kun."

Ranma quivered in hurt. He stared at her as she aided the other boy. The sharp pain in his chest slowly began to spread throughout his body. He scowled. "So you're gonna take P-chan's side again?"

Akane ignored his comment and began dusting Ryoga off. Ranma noticed that he didn't receive any reaction from his rival either. His fiancee continued to console the boy.

"Hey! Akane, did you hear me?" he shouted.

"What!" A flaming anger burned in her eyes and Ranma couldn't help but wince. "...I...I said...He's P-chan."

"I know that, you idiot!"

Her words struck him slowly, but intensely. His eyes widened. "What?" She didn't bother to avert her intense glare. Ranma paused, speechless for a long moment.

Realization suddenly hit him. His mouth fell open. "WHAT!" He trembled violently as confusion, shock, anger, and hurt all fought to gain dominance over his emotions. "...Y...Y-You...knew?"

"Yes!" she shouted, shamelessly.

Ranma frowned at Ryoga, then back at her. "For...For how long?"

"Since the first day i met him! He told me."

His eyes remained glued to her. His frown tightened. "...Then...all those times... when he was in your bed..."

She nodded. "Yes...I knew."

Something suddenly shattered inside Ranma. His body trembled more intensely and his knees grew weak under him. Before he noticed, he hit the ground.

Ryoga's laughter grew more obnoxious as he hooked an arm around Akane's waist.

Ranma stared down at the ground, exasperated. A puddle beneath him, rippled rhythmically as rain drops smack the surface. His red-headed reflection wavered with the falling rain. He glanced back up at his fiancee.

"Akane...but...why?"

"Why what?" she asked irritably.

"Why...THIS?...Why HIM!"

They stared at him, pitifully. "You're not...actually jealous are you?"

Ryoga scoffed. "How pathetic."

The color red flashed across Ranma's vision and fury took over. He jumped to his feet. "I'll show you PATHETIC!" He charged at his rival. His knuckles connected with his jaw easily. Ryoga held his jaw and staggered backwards.

"Ranma!" Akane shouted.

He charged at him again and slammed his foot into his gut. Ryoga knelt over and coughed uncontrollably. Ranma used the opportunity to counter with a kick to his skull. He hit the ground defenseless.

"Ranma, stop it!" Akane shouted.

The deafening ring of his anger dismissed her words. "What's wrong, Pig Boy? Why arentcha fighting back?" He towered over his rival.

Ryoga didn't move.

"Ranma stop! You'll hurt him!" Akane's hands gripped his arm. Though he could have easily broken free, he decided not to. He shifted around and looked at her. His eyes, filled with hurt, searched hers for answers.

"I don't understand, Akane."

Tears fell from her eyes. She didn't release her grip on him. "What's there to not understand?...I LOVE HIM, okay?"

Ranma's stare never left her. Even after she looked down at the ground. "What?"

"...I-I love him," she repeated.

He continued to stare. It took several minutes for his mind to adjust to her statement. 'She loves him?' His eyes remained on hers although they lay empty, shadowing his emotion. He effortlessly pulled his arm from her grip.

But why?

It was the only question his mind seemed to possess. Why?

Why had her interest so suddenly alter from him to the Pig?

Ranma stared back and forth between them. His stomach churned nauseously. "...I...I'm...DISGUSTED!" he said.

Akane frowned. "...Disgusted?...Well, don't think you're the only one. YOU disgust ME with how you treat him."

He ignored her words and turned away, still attempting to grasp his emotions. He frustratedly kicked at a puddle of water. The puddle did nothing more than ripple. He frowned at it, disregarding his reflection.

This day had took a turn for the worst.

A few drops of water dripped from his hair and rolled down his face. He turned and began walking. At this point, he didn't know what else to say. He guess they could just permanently break the engagement off.

And as for Ryoga. Their friendship was probably over.

Ranma suddenly froze. A thought came to him.

"Wait." As his mind processed the thought more thoroughly, it seemed more obvious. "Wait." He turned back around. Akane stood a few feet away tending to Ryoga.

"Wait a minute!"

He marched towards them and halted in front of them. Akane threw him an anooyed glance. "What is it now?"

Ranma eyed Ryoga suspiciously. He leaned in close and narrowed his eyes. "What happened to your curse?"

They both blinked. "...What?"

'You heard me. I said what happened to his curse! It was rainin' a few minutes ago. So how come ya didn't change?"

Akane stepped forward. "I helped him find a cure."

Ranma hesitated. "...A cure?"

Ryoga nodded. "Yep. I'm cured of the pig." He grinned, pompously.

Ranma gasped. "You helped HIM find a cure?"

"Isn't that what we just said Ranma."

Ranma stared in shock. 'He's...cured?' He suddenly felt the shattered pieces of himself pick themselves up and then shatter into even tinier pieces. "...Cure?..."

Akane frowned. "Why do you keep repeating yourself? YES. I helped him find a cure for his curse."

"...B-But...why not me?...Y-You knew...You knew how badly I've wanted to be cured. Why not ME?"

She rolled her eyes and turned away. "Everything's not about you, Ranma."

Every muscle in his body stiffened. "...A-Akane..."

The once present beauty that had Akane glowing earlier no longer existed. Her eyes no longer took on an amber hue. Her lips no longer seemed irresistable and inviting. Her hair lay plastered messily to her face in an unattractive manner.

This was the ugliest he had ever seen her.

His legs gave way beneath. This time, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't gain authority of them any more. Akane looped her arm through Ryoga's. "Come on, Ryoga-kun. The movie's going to start soon."

He nodded. He looked at Ranma and smirked. "Now who wins, Ranma?"

Ranma snarled. "You're a PIG, Ryoga!"

"Yeah, and you're a sex-changing freak." Akane joined him in laughter. She tugged at his arm and they continued on. Ranma trembled and watched his fiancee as she slowly disappeared through the thick mist with his rival.

Ranma huffed and clutched his chest as a familiar sharp pain returned. His heart clenched, achingly. "...A...A-Akane..." The throbbing pain increased, causing him to wince.

'Why?' he thought.

The pain slowly spread throughout his body, before he blacked out.

**...**

**An update. Finally!**

**Writer's block is a WITCH.**

**Anyway, leave me ya comments and suggestions and I'll try to update within a few. Thanx. :)**


	6. Part 6

**Nightmares In Nerima**

**...  
**

**Part 6**

**...  
**

The suffocating shift from dream to reality left Ranma damp with beads of sweat sticking to his heated skin. The delayed sensation of oxygen freely reaching his lungs calmed his panic. His eyes traced the contents of the dim room and slowly reminded him of his location. A shaky breath of relief escaped him.

He tilted his head toward the open window of the guestroom and stared out. The outside environment was casted in a navy blue and for a few seconds, Ranma couldn't determine whether his nap had ended at early night, or if he had slept entirely through the night, awakened to early morning. He settled on the first option.

He stretched his aching limbs along the soft ruffled sheet of his futon, before sitting up. He glanced around the room once more. The neighboring futon beside his remained empty, baring that the night was still young. He scratched his head before crawling up from his own futon with a sigh.

He felt nothing less than relieved. Though his stomach still stirred, biliously, the frighteningly real pain in his chest had slighly dissolved with each deep breath.

'...That was weird.' he thought. He ran a hand over his chest. The realistic vibe of the dream still lingered and it sent a shiver down his spine.

He exited the guestroom and approached the staircase. "What the hell's up with all these crazy dreams?" he said rubbing the back of his head. He took the steps slowly, one at a time, giving his sense of wakefulness time to commence.

First there was the dream involving the cats (which he blamed entirely on the film they had saw), then there was the lockerroom dream, and then his current one. Falling asleep no longer appealed to him as it once did. Especially if it resulted in dreams like the previous ones.

When he reached the last step, he paused momentarily and studied his father and Soun, sitting merrily at the shogi board, deep blushes tinting their faces. They slurred over-enthusiastic words and took swigs from their sake bottles. Ranma continued on and shook his head. 'Don't they ever do anything else?' He arrived at the kitchen doorway and held the drapes upward as he entered. Kasumi stood at the stove boiling a tea kettle of water.

"Hey," he said.

She jerked slightly and looked over her shoulder. "Oh. Hello, Ranma. Are you feeling better?"

"Um...better?"

"Well, you were out as soon as you came. Akane said you didn't sleep very well last night."

He approached her side at the sink. "Oh...well...I was a little tired. Nothing serious..."

She smiled sweetly. "That's good. I was a little worried when you slept through dinner. Your food's in the fridge."

Ranma's face lit up. He walked around toward the refrigerator and opened the door. His eyes scanned the mild amount of content in it and spotted a wrapped plate. It contained a side portion of rice and a pork cutlet. Ranma grinned. "Looks good. Thanks a lot, Kasumi."

He shuffled over to the microwave and adjusted the settings. "Say..." He looked around, then at the eldest Tendo daughter. "Where is Akane, anyway?"

Kasumi carefully transferred the hot kettle over to counter. "She turned in early...She didn't get very much sleep last night either."

"Oh...," was his reply.

Kasumi reached for the cups and positioned them beside the kettle. After a silent pause in their conversation, Ranma turned back to her when she casually spoke again. "Ranma...did something maybe happen last night?" Her eyes remained focused on her own activity but the smile never left her face.

He stared blankly for a moment. "...Um...no. Nothing happened..."

She winced and recoiled after attempting to grip the handle of the kettle with her bare hand. Her facial expression remained the same, inferring that she may have not believed him.

"I think it may be the heat," he justified.

Her features altered into sympathy. "I'm sorry. We're going to TRY to get an air-conditioner in this house. It's only the beginning of summer and it's already in the nineties. They say its going to get even hotter within the next few months."

"Yeah, I know."

"Maybe if we get the gas turned off, we can afford one. I already spoke to Father about it and that seems like our best option. You know, just until summer has passed."

Ranma nodded in understanding. The timer on the microwave sounded and he removed his plate. He took his seat at the counter and stared at Kasumi.

It was clear how hard she worked around the house, striving to hold things in order. She prepared every meal with exertion, ensuring everyone had enough to eat, even when their food supply was scarce. Majority of the cleaning and chores were completed by her. And she never once went out of her way to complain or even ask someone else to assist her.

He knew their financial situation had plummeted since he and his father moved into the house. The extra usage of hot water, lights, and food had added stress to their already unfortunate living conditions.

He had never before sincerely understood the situation until now. He and his father had spent the previous ten years without permanent shelter or necessities, and even food had been difficult to frequently come by when they had no source of income. They seldomly slept in real beds and they spent countless long nights in the cold. The change in condition when they had moved in with the Tendos, he now realized, was pure heaven.

Amongst that, they were also hospitably welcomed.

Though he rarely displayed it, he hated it when Nabiki would occasionally title them 'freeloaders' and blame them for their situation. It made him feel useless. His first attempt to bring in income by seeking students for the dojo, had failed. And since then he had no other ideas.

If things remained the way they were, especially while it was summer, they would all eventually die from the heat. The last few weeks had already been intense, and it was rumored to get even worse, the temperature reaching the triple digits.

He had to produce some way to help the family out.

Ranma took a few bites of his pork cutlet, though his appetite had dwindled. The taste was just as succulent as it had always been. A thought came to mind.

"Hey, Kasumi..."

She suddenly looked up from filling the last cup with water. "Hmm?"

"...Have you ever...y'know, thought about making money off your cooking?"

She sat the kettle down and thought about it. "Well...people have suggested it before."

"Then why haven't you?...You could probably make a good fortune."

Kasumi smiled. "Thank you. But I don't know. It takes a lot of effort and money to start a business. I mean, where would we find the amount required to buy a restaurant? And then furnish it? We'd have to hire employees also. Not to mention it can take several years before a restaurant becomes successful."

Ranma frowned. "Well, you don't really need all that stuff. You could cook and sell the food here at home. You can serve take-out. Except for maybe the extra food, it wouldn't cost a lot and we could help you out."

Kasumi glanced around, as if considering it. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea, Ranma."

He smiled at her. He could probably advertise the plan. It wouldn't be hard. Her skills were already near notorious around Nerima. Many people, particularly men, would climb a mountain just to eat a meal prepared by Kasumi. With the family's help and some management and finance from Nabiki, the idea was guaranteed to be successful.

"But," Kasumi said, interrupting his fantasy. "There are already so many food places around town. I don't think anyone would come."

Ranma grinned, deviously. "Trust me...You could probably give those other businesses a run for their money." He would attract as many customers as possible. Even if it meant drawing attention away from other restaurants in town.

'Sorry Shampoo and Ukyo.'

...

The clock gradually struck two hours past midnight. The rhythmic tick of the second hand on the clock was the only sound still present in the house. Ranma sat at the living room table flipping through a manga. He had managed to stay awake the past few hours with absolutely no trouble. Suddenly his scheduled sleepiness washed over him, unexpectedly. He yawned and closed the book, adding it to the large pile of read manga on his left. Only one remained on his right. After he completed it, he wasn't sure what else he would do to keep himself occupied until it was time for school.

"...All because of those stupid dreams," he said. He reached for the last book.

Another annoying hour dragged along. He had finished most of the manga and had grown bored of the plot. He sat the book aside, pages faced down to mark his place, and stared at the clock. 'This is stupid.' he thought. It had been extremely simple for him to claim he wouldn't go to sleep. But now, following through with it was proven the opposite.

He had to manage to stay awake for the next five hours and the remainder of the school day. His eyelids had already filled with lead and were fighting to close and conquer him with sleep. Ranma stretched against the sensation. His mind began to slow down and create sensible excuses why he should give up and go to sleep.

_'You won't be able to remain awake the entire day if you don't get some sleep now,'_ a portion of his mind said.

He thought about the statement and considered turning in. He knew it was true. If he was tired now, he would probably be a walking zombie in a few hours.

_'Ah, no you won't. You've gone longer periods without sleep. A few hours ain't gonna hurt ya,"_ the opposite portion of his mind stated.

But I'm tired, Ranma thought.

_'Then go to bed,'_ the first portion replied. _'You have nothing to worry about, Ranma. They're just dreams. You need your rest.'_

He considered it.

_'You ain't a weakling, Ranma,'_ the other portion stated._ 'You gonna let a little tiredness slow you down? Tough it out.'_

Ranma frowned. "...Right." He straightened the stack of manga on the table and then stood to his feet. He tapped his face and shook away any trace of fatigue. "It's only a few hours. I can take it." He slid the shoji door aside and stepped outside. If he was physically occupied, it would redirect his focus from it. Some katas in the dojo would help.

...

"Come on, Ranma! We're gonna be late," Akane yelled from the living room.

Several impatient seconds passed. When the slow, heavy sound of footsteps approached the top of the staircase, Akane glanced up. "What took you so long?"

A messy-haired, baggy-eyed Ranma dragged toward her, step by step. "...I said I was comin'." His words lacked effort. He shuffled right past Akane, toward the door.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she examined him. "R-Ranma?..." Seconds later she caught up with him and matched his pace. "Ranma, what happened?"

"Whadda ya mean, what happened?" He rested his hands behind his head.

"You look tired. Didn't you sleep last night."

He sighed. A hesitation occured before he replied again. "A little bit...I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't get back ta sleep."

"Oh. How come?"

He shrugged, weakly. "I donno...probably the heat."

Akane's eyes never left him. She studied him, silently. Ranma tensed under the pressure of her stare, suddenly feeling self-conscious. Could she tell he was lying?

"Oh...well, that's too bad...So I guess you'll be coming straight home after school then?" Her eyes now studied the ground below as they walked.

Ranma looked up, curiously. "Why do you ask?"

She fidgeted, uncomfortably. Her satchel was transfered from her left hand to her right hand. "Um...no reason...I was just going to..." Her voice grew softer. "...ask you to come to the movies with me after school."

His mouth parted slightly and a taken-back expression became apparent on his features.

Is she asking me on a date?

Ranma pondered the situation. Any hint of doubt he had was slayed by the faint blush on her cheeks. 'She is,' he thought.

When Akane suddenly looked up to meet his eyes, he instantly remembered that she was expecting an answer. "Um...I mean...yeah sure. I probably won't be THAT tired."

The slightly worried look on her face molded into relief. She frowned at the bags under his eyes. "Are you sure?"

Ranma knew a splash of wakefulness wouldn't just randomly strike him during the day. Hell yeah, he would most likely be tired, but he had the entire afternoon to evening and night to sleep. Not that he was even looking forward to it.

He didn't want to turn her down. "Yep," he answered confidently.

He prentended not to notice the restrained satisfaction that peaked from her.

All he had to do was make it through the entire school day, and a two-hour movie with Akane. If he became overly hopeless, then he would attempt to sleep peacefully when he arrived home. Though he would try desperately to avoid it.

...

Akane frowned and shook her head. Ms. Hinako's third period class had been boringly, stressful so far. The woman stood at the head of the class, bearing the body of a child . She carefully quoted english phrases and then recited them in japanese with explanation. Even though Akane could have used the current lecture, her attention was far from focused on the teacher.

She glanced over at her fiance, who sat in the next row, two seats back. He was out cold.

She glanced back at the front of the room where the teacher stood. There was no possible way that she could wake him from where she sat. She held her breath when Ms. Hinako paused in mid sentence and glared in the direction of the class.

"...Miasoko, that had better not be GUM you're chewing." A few students turned and looked at the boy seated in the back row. His eyes widened slightly in fear.

"...N-No ma'am...J-Just paper."

Ms. Hinako's glare lingered on him, before traveling over the rest of the class. Everyone stiffened.

'Uh-oh,' Akane thought. 'She's going to see him for sure.'

The teacher studied all the faces of her students. When Akane thought Ms. Hinako's glare had halted in Ranma's general direction, she inwardly screamed. 'Wake up, Dummy!'

But the lady's child-like demeanor returned. "Okay. Let's continue."

The entire class released their tension and Akane blew a breath of relief. She cocked her head to look at Ranma.

His cheek was nested againt the desk and his mouth slightly open, drool pooling from the corner. Snores escaped him, but they were only loud enough to draw the attention of near-by students and not the teacher. Daisuke was sitting in the desk behind Ranma. When he looked up, Akane happened to lock gazes with him. She threw him a hopeful look, begging him to reach over and wake Ranma.

Obviously he had misinterpreted her look, because he arched his eyebrows in a flirtatious manner and smirked.

Akane sighed in defeat and turned back toward the front of the room.

She held pity for him, but Ranma was on his own with this one.

...

Ranma smiled and lifted his shirt over his head. He rested the white towel in his hand over the ledge of the bathtub in front of him. "Finally. My turn," he said.

He untied his belt and let his pants fall to his ankles. He rested one hand on the ledge of the tub and lifted the opposite leg up and placed it in the empty bathtub. He suddenly lost his balance when something bumped him.

"Move, Ranma! It's not your turn!" Akane stood at the ledge scowling at him. She reached for the hem of her shirt and began lifting it up.

He scowled back. "It is my turn! I called second."

Her fingers pulled back the fabric of her blouse painfully slow. Her taut stomach became revealed. Ranma swallowed and attempted to act like it didn't affect him. His eyes followed the hemline.

"Ladies first," Akane said. She tugged the shirt the rest of the way up and over her head with normal speed. A tedious black swimsuit became revealed underneath. Ranma face-faulted, slightly disappointed.

She smirked, victoriously.

"Fine." Ranma crawled back to his feet. "If that's the case..." He twisted the knob on the faucet until water began to flow. He bent over the ledge and dunked his head underneath. The icy water trailed through his hair and ran down his face and neck. His body reformed, decreasing in height and weight. Breasts formed where his pecks once were.

Akane frowned in irritation.

"Now who's the lady?" Ranma said. He stuck his tongue at her and stepped into the bathtub. The coolness of the water relieved his burning flesh.

Akane turned toward the other side of the room. "Kasumi! Tell him it's MY turn."

Kasumi looked up from the television. "Oh dear...Can't you two share?"

"I don't wanna share! It's MY bath time." she cried.

Nabiki, who sat next to Kasumi at the table, turned around and glared at her. "Shhhhhh...Do you two have to turn EVERYTHING into an argument? Akane, just wait until he's done."

Akane fumed. She threw Ranma a dangerous glare before storming away.

He sighed and shook his head. Tomboys.

Reluctantly, he stood from the tub and climbed out. He used his towel to dab his now naked, male body. "I better go talk to her." He tossed the towel over his shoulder before exiting the shoji door. Ranma stepped out onto the deck and glanced around.

"Akane..."

He was answered by the sound of a soft splash in the pond. "Akane...Where'd you go?"

He walked past a black-cloaked stranger sitting on the deck. "Akane!" he called again.

The stranger cleared his throat and Ranma turned to look at him.

"If it's Akane you're looking for, she's upstairs." His voice was deep and thundering.

"Thanks," Ranma said. He walked around him and started toward the staircase.

"Wait a minute, Ranma."

Ranma froze.

"Come here, a sec. I want to talk to you."

Ranma turned. "Uh...okay." He took a seat next to him on the deck. The cloak concealed the man's face, making it appear a vortex of darkness. Ranma waited for him to speak.

"I just want to make sure we're on the same page..."

Ranma stared at the koi pond. The large predatory fish, leaped ten feet into the air before landing with a massive splash. He wasn't quite sure how to respond to the stranger's comment so he allowed him to continue.

"You know you still owe me."

Ranma looked up at him. "I'm sorry, what do I owe you again?"

The stranger sighed and tapped his bony fingers together, impatiently. "Your father borrowed 700,000 yen from me two years ago. He agreed to pay me back immediately." The stranger snapped his head in Ranma's direction, dramatically. "I haven't received a single yen."

Ranma stiffened. "Wow...well I don't know what to tell ya. You gotta talk to Pops about that."

The stranger suddenly stood to his feet. "I've already spoken with him...He assured me that YOU would pay me today."

Ranma's mouth fell open. "WHAT?" He jumped to his feet. "Pops said that?"

The stranger frowned. "Yes. 'Pops' said that." He held his bone hand out. "...Well?"

Ranma stood, puzzled. He looked down at the man's hand, then back up at him. "H-Hey...I...I can't...I-I mean...I don't HAVE 700,000 yen." A chill ran down his spine when the stranger growled.

"I NEED MY MONEY!"

Ranma held up his hands, apologetically. "L-Look. Let me just go get my dad and you can-" He stopped when the stranger held up three fingers. He blinked and stared at them. "What?"

"Three days...You have exactly three days - until Saturday - to have the money ready..."

Ranma frowned. "How am I gonna get that much in just THREE DAYS?"

"I don't know. And I really don't care...Just have it."

The weather grew unusually cold. He glanced over at the koi pond. The fish were snapping furiously in his direction. He turned back toward the stranger and narrowed his eyes. "...And if I don't?"

He cackled. "Well...I'm pretty sure it's in your best interest that you do."

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "...What do you mean?"

The stranger turned and looked up toward the crimson red sky. He cackled again and pointed. "Because I'm pretty sure you'll want your little girlfriend back."

Ranma followed his finger to the point in the sky were another black-cloaked figure was hovering in the air. Tucked under one of his arms was Akane. A scarf was tied around her face to gag her and her eyes had grown puffy red with tears.

"Ramma!" Her voice was muffled. "Hel me!"

His eyes widened. "Akane!"

The stranger next to him cackled again.

"Let her go! Now!"

"No chance. You have my 700,000 yen ready by Thursday and we'll return her unharmed."

"Ramma!" Akane cried again. Tears trailed down her cheeks. "He's hurting me!"

Ranma fumed. "This is not funny! Give her back now!"

The stranger beside him levitated off the ground. He hovered until he was about seven feet above him. "Give me what you owe me. But remember...you only have until Friday. Have the money...and we'll give her back. If not...then...we'll tear every organ from her body...and then mail them to you."

"WHAT!"

The stranger floated away.

"Wait!" Ranma shouted.

"Ramma!...Please!" The terror in her eyes made Ranma burn with fury. "COME BACK HERE!"

Both strangers flew away. "See you in a few days," one called.

"Akane!"

Ranma trembled violently and watched as the two black spots in the sky disappeared. He turned, dashed toward the house and threw the shoji door aside. "Where is he!"

Soun, Kasumi, and Nabiki looked up from the television. "...Where's who?"

"The old man!"

They stared at him, cluelessly. "...Which one?"

"MY OLD MAN!"

Kasumi smiled. "Oh...Ranma, your father left on a trip yesterday. He said he wouldn't be back for a few days...See." She reached for a piece of paper and held it up toward him. He scanned the paper. A panda paw print was stained on it with black ink.

"THAT COWARD!" Ranma growled.

They winced at his current anger. "Is there something wrong, Son?" Soun asked.

He ignored the question and took off. He ran back outside and stared up at the sky. "Where did they go?" The sky had returned to its original blue color and appeared normally peaceful.

"Akane!"

"You've got to hurry and save her Ranma." He turned to the new voice that had spoken. One of the large koi fish sat propped by the edge of the pond. "You've got to save her. She's in grave danger."

"I know that...but I don't know how to get to her."

"Just raise the money you owe. That's your best option. Those guys are assassins, Ranma. They could kill her!"

"But...how? I don't know how to raise that much in a few days."

"Do what you can, Ranma!...If you truly, truly care about her...you'll do what you can. This is a matter of life and death...And we care about her too." The other fish nodded in agreement.

Ranma sighed. They were right. He couldn't just waste time trying to figure out how to get to her. By then, Saturday would have come and he still wouldn't have had a solution.

He just needed to raise the money. At any means necessary.

He glanced back up at the sky again. He just hoped they wouldn't harm her in anyway.

'Hang on, Akane...Just hang tight.'

The shoji door suddenly slid open behind him and he turned to look. Soun stood in the doorway with an intense scowl on his face. "SAOTOME!"

"Saotome! Wake up!"

A solid object impacted the crown of his head, jarring him from his sleep. Ranma grunted and sat up. A dead silence filled the room and every pair of eyes stuck to him. Ms. Hinako stood a inches away from his desk holding a small mallet.

"No sleeping in class," she scolded. "That's your second strike! You know what happens the THIRD time."

Ranma gulped at the familiar consequence.

"Hallway," she said.

Ranma carefully stood from his desk and passed the long line of desks and nosy students toward the classroom exit. An embarrassing sense of deja vu occured as his face burned with discomfiture.

Akane sighed and watched as her fiance returned to his accustomed punishment in the hallway.

'...Poor Ranma.'

...

Here's another update.

I apologize to all my readers for the previous chapter. I know I failed to replace my scene change indicators when i uploaded the document and it may have caused confusion for many who read. I went back and corrected my mistake, so anyone who felt they couldn't fully enjoy the chapter, feel free to go back and reread. It should be easier to understand. Anyway, thanks for all who review, and keep the comments and opinions coming. :)


	7. Part 7

**Nightmares In Nerima**

**...  
**

**Part 7**

**...  
**

"Damn," Ranma cursed. He lay sprawled out on the grass beside his favorite tree in the school yard. The tree's leaves supplied shade, hindering the intense contact of sunlight. Thin cottony white clouds traveled by overhead. The refreshing, though rare cool breeze that passed, mixed with the occupied voices and laughter of his schoolmates around the yard.

He had fallen asleep in class for the second time. He didn't even recall falling asleep until he was awoken by the teacher and sentenced to the hallway. His classmate's interested stares had bored through him again, embarrassing him once again. Some of their stares had been of curiosity. A few other students' glares had been stained with irritation. Some with concern. (Specifically Akane). The remaining students' faces were written with amusement.

Which suddenly led him to wonder if he had cried out again in class. If he had, he would certainly suffer more teasing from his gutter-minded friends. Especially considering what his dream had been about. He had probably mumbled Akane's name countless times during his dream.

'I've gotta stop doin' that,' he thought. He couldn't allow himself to fall asleep again in class. At least not while these bizarre nightmares were constantly appearing. The origin of these recurring dreams was a mystery. His only option was to hope this little 'stage' eventually passed so he could sleep peacefully again.'

He blinked heavily against the tempting daze of drowsiness. The warm atmosphere only contributed to the condition.

His eyes had slowly began to close when a silhouette towered over him and jarred him from his daze. He immediately sat up when the silhouette took a seat beside him.

"Hey...," Akane said. She rested the fresh, neat appearing bento in her hands on her lap.

"Hey." He sat indian style, pressed his palms against the ground, and leaned back slightly. Neither of them spoke for several seconds. Akane just studied Ranma curiously and he waited, expectantly, for her to either clarify her presence or start a conversation.

After an awkward moment of staring at each other, she jerked her gaze away and looked at her lap. She gripped the bento and thrust it at him. "Here."

Ranma looked partially surprised for a second as he stared down at the bento. "Um..." He couldn't muster an excuse this time. The corner of his mouth twitched as he attempted to force a smile.

Akane frowned and shoved the box at him. "Oh, honestly...I didn't make it, okay? It's store bought. Here."

He slowly reached for the bento, his face stiff, trying to conceal his obvious relief. He opened it nonchalantly and began to pick at the contents with the chopsticks.

Another brief silence passed between them. Ranma couldn't help but feel like there was actually a reason why she had come and sat next to him. He picked out a random shrimp from the box and stuffed it in his mouth as he waited for her to speak.

"You know..." she said. He looked up with the tail end of the shrimp poking out between his lips. "You chose a terrible time to sleep in class."

There it was.

Her mouth curved into a frown as she continued. "We've got final exams next week and you're missing all the vital information...Unless you want to take summer courses than you need to make some sort of passing grade."

Ranma smirked. "Well, that's why I'm lucky to have YOU."

She rolled her eyes. "Nice try. Just try to stay awake...because I won't be able to help you with everything."

His smirk disappeared and he sighed, looking across the yard.

If only it was just that easy.

As Akane continued to stare at him, her frown slowly shifted into a look of concern. "...Are you still tired?"

He leaned back further. "Eh...I should be alright." He happened to glance over in her direction and notice she just sat there, her hands folded in her lap. He lifted an eyebrow,"Hey...Why aren't you eating?"

She froze and peaked down at the bento in his lap before quickly looking away.

Ranma stood confused at her reaction to his question. He looked down at the bento in her lap. Slowly, realization rised. The chopsticks lowered from his mouth and he frowned.

"Ah, Akane...You didn't hafta gimme your lunch."

She shook her head, avoiding eye contact. "No, no, it's okay. I'm not hungry."

"Here. Take it back." He repositioned the lid over the box and held it out. She only peaked at it and shook her head again.

"Akane..." Ranma said, firmly.

"Just keep it, Ranma. I know you forgot your lunch again and I don't have much of an appetite.

His features softened and he lowered the bento. "...Akane..."

A small smirk played at her lips. "...Or would you have prefered if I had MADE you one, home-made?"

He blushed slightly and looked down. "T-Thank you..."

The minute hand on the school clock imaccurately aimed at the '8'. Akane squinted across the yard in the direction of it. "There's still a good thirty minutes before class begins. If you wanna sleep, now would be the time...I'll come wake if you want."

He blinked. "Um...okay."

Akane stood to her feet and threw him one last smile before taking off across the yard. Ranma watched her, his face still flushed. He stared down at the bento box. 'That was...nice of her,' he thought.

He had been seeing a lot of this side of her lately. It caused confusion, as well as attraction. This side of her was the side that occasionally reminded him why he liked being around her so much.

Her smile was always a lot more inviting on this side.

'...And it's definitely a lot cuter.' he admitted.

His hands clutched the box tighter as he studied Furinkan's clock himself. Lunch was barely even half over and he would have gotten a decent amount of time to nap.

But unfortunately, that wasn't his aim. Though he wanted nothing more than to give into his body's desire for rest, he couldn't.

He wasn't sure how much longer he would last, or when his eyes would betray him and surrender to the deprivation. And he really didn't want to risk finding out.

Bento in hand, he stood to his feet.

...

The bell sounded, informing all students that the lunch break had ended. The school yard gradually cleared as the mob of male students playing soccer loosened and vanished as the students went their various directions. Socializing students mimicked the same pattern and eventually the school yard was near deserted.

Akane arrived at the front entrance, moving around the final cluster of students making their way to class. Her lips curved upward slightly in a smile as she took the steps three at a time. When she reached the final step, the smile disappeared. Her eyes paused at the previously visited spot by the tree where she had been less than a half hour earlier. A cool breeze blew through the yard, grazing the healthy grass, as well as lifting her skirt and hair slightly to flutter in unison.

The entire yard was empty.

Her eyebrows arched, but she spent little time pondering the idea, knowing she was on the verge of being tardy. She scanned the yard one last time before traveling back up the steps toward the entrance.

'He went on ahead to class already,' she thought.

Akane sighed in relief as she arrived to her fourth period class only seconds before the bell rang. Majority of the chemistry students had already taken their seats and were quietly conversing among themselves until Mrs. Kasuya began role call.

"Asaoka Tohari."

"Present," Tohari responded after standing.

"Azuri Kohane."

"Here."

Akane found her own seat at the back of the crowded room and settled down. The entire first portion of the attendance list had been called and the teacher had neared completion.

"Rakashi Hinata."

There was no response. Mrs. Kasuya hesitated to document the student's absence. She continued on.

"Sanatse Kenmaru."

"Here," Kenmaru replied.

"Saotome Ranma."

The teacher waited for a reply that never came. Students glanced around the classroom, scanning the numerous seats to find Ranma's seat was in fact empty.

'Huh?' Akane thought.

"No Saotome?" Mrs. Kayusa asked.

The students didn't respond directly, instead whispered amongst themselves about how they were sure they had seen Ranma earlier that day. The teacher documented the absence and continued on. "Siioshi Sakura."

Akane stared at the lonely desk, that had on a regular basis been occupied by her fiance. She frowned at it, inferring that Ranma would arrive late for class.

Mrs. Kayusa concluded role call and began the lecture for the day. "No talking, please take out your pens and paper and take notes as I go through the primary topics that will be included on your final exam."

She summarized the basics of a few laws, acids and bases, logarithm, molarity, and naming compounds. Akane mimicked the notes that the teacher jotted on the board, though her mind wasn't dedicated to the lecture. As many more minutes passed, Ranma's seat remained empty. Twenty-five minutes soon became forty-five minutes. The teacher had concluded her lecture and cleared up any misconceptions her students may have had.

Akane suddenly realized that something must have happened. Sure, Ranma had shown up tardy a few times for school, and even classes on other occasions, but he would rarely remain absent from a class when he had actually shown up for school.

That was, unless he was in the nurses office.

Had something happened?

The remainder of the hour dragged by, suffocatingly. The bell sounded and students gathered their belongings and headed toward the next period class. Akane didn't share a fifth hour class with Ranma, but she did however have World History with him last hour. She drew no haste as she passed by many students on her path toward her Algebra II class. Her eyes scanned back and forth down the hallway, a portion of her sincerely hoping that she would spot him. But as the students cleared the halls and departed to their scheduled rooms, her hope began to wane.

'Well...there's still last hour,' she thought. The next hour lapsed as quickly as it had came. The end of the day was only a blink away and the anticipation had the student body antsy. To Akane's dismay, Ranma hadn't made an appearance to the final class of the day.

Her worry and suspicion grew with every passing moment. It wasn't like him to just go missing without warning. She had asked a few students from his fifth period Geometry class if he had shown up. They all informed that he hadn't.

And then there she was, at the end of the day, waiting by his locker. She leaned against it casually, her inner panic tugging to be released. But as the majority of the student body exited the school, it became more obvious that her chance of running into him was near none.

She shifted against the locker, preparing to look else where when a brown-haired girl, clad in a boys' school uniform approached her. "Hey, Akane."

Akane stood up straight. "Ukyo?"

"You wouldn't have happened to see Ranchan, have you?" There was a minor extent of worry and curiosity obvious on her face.

"...No. Have you?"

She shook her head and glanced over her shoulder, down the hall. "Yesterday, I invited him over to the restaraunt to eat today. So I was gonna see if he wanted to walk with me."

Akane's eyes narrowed. "Oh really?"

"Yeah, but I haven't seen him all afternoon...You know where he could be?"

"No clue," she replied.

Ukyo gaped. "Wait...So he's missing?"

Akane's eyes scanned the hallway, absently as she thought of a sensible reply. "Uh...well-"

"Why didn't you say something?...He just disappeared at random? What if something's happened to him?"

"Yeah, well-"

"Here, I'll go look around!" Ukyo rested her satchel over her shoulder and took off toward the exit. Akane watched her in awe. After a few seconds, her mouth curved into a frown and she started down the hall, toward the nurse's office.

'Dummy,' she thought. How could he have made plans to go eat with Ukyo, if he had agreed to go to the movies with her that afternoon? Her fists clenched automatically as she arrived at the nurse's office. The door was shut and she hoped, for his sake, that he wasn't in there because she would have a few words (and a fist) just for him.

Her hand shot out and grasped the knob with her anger heightening at the thought of him lying to her, or changing his mind about their date.

Akane suddenly hesitated and blushed. 'Wait...Did I just think...'date'?' She shook the thought away and corrected herself. 'Not date...but...' No replacement came to mind. Her hand twisted the knob and pulled the door open. 'Whatever.'

She came to an abrupt halt and stared curiously at the scene before her. Two students, one male, the other female, immediately hauled away from each other, practically throwing their own bodies to separate sides of the room. She didn't necessarily know the boy, but she recognized the girl as Reiko from her volleyball team. Akane's eyebrow arched, as she contemplated what could have possibly caused their reaction. Her cheeks gradually went an awkward shade of pink when she realized that Reiko was fumbling to rebutton her blouse. Her male companion had faced the other side of the room, his back turned to them. From his arm gestures, it appeared that he was scrambling with the zipper and button of his pants.

A predictable silence filled the room.

"Uh...S-Sorry..." Akane immediately turned away and closed the door behind her, leaving them with their obvious suspicion. She shook her head at the implied engagement of her two schoolmates and blushed more intensely.

Determining that Ranma was no longer present on school grounds worried her. She darted down the hall and out the front door of the building.

But what reason would he have had to disappear? Everything had been fine at lunch. She considered the events of the day and what Ukyo had mentioned. Akane's face molded firmly. She swallowed and tried to dismiss the idea of him possibly avoiding her.

It would have made cunningly good sense. Maybe he had chosen to go eat at Ukyo's, but didn't want to encounter Akane, so he skipped out early, to wait at the restaraunt.

She furrowed, shaking her head.

No, that still wouldn't have explained why he had disappeared so early, specifically right after lunch. She was now running down the street toward her home. Whatever the explanation was, it was stirring her stomach. Akane huffed as she neared the Tendo home.

'Something's definitely wrong,' she thought.

...


End file.
